More Or Less
by Nysk
Summary: Ranma/Gold Digger Crossover - Summary: Ranma is torn from his life when a magical spell goes awry only to return years later. Warning: Not a Ranma/Brittany Pairing - Powerful Ranma - NOT CANON. For Further details look inside.
1. Chapter 1

**MORE OR LESS**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing save that which I imagine I do. Beyond that… it's up to the nice people in the white coats to sort out.

**Warning, Story Key**: This is an AU (Alternate Universe) story mixing Ranma with at the very least the Gold Digger Series, possibly more which may contain death, birth, cursing, daffiness, waffiness, sexually provocative scenes, absolute silliness, out of character characters, beef jerky, fanon, flying pigs, inappropriate behavior (I leave this, as with most things, to your personal beliefs), time travel, over the top acting, bashing, or just about anything that could offend someone in some way that even I cannot foresee or warn you about. Note I did not say it would, just that it may!

At any point in time in reading this story if you feel that something has crossed a line you do not feel comfortable with, the characters have acted in a way that lessens your enjoyment of the tale, or you simply do not like where things are going I invite you to cease reading as I would only want you to continue if you are enjoying my tale. I on the other hand will continue to add to this tale so long as my personal enjoyment in writing it continues and my muse does not go on strike as she has many times in the past. Thankfully she is fond of chicken and ginger sauce and thus comes back often enough to keep me happy. One thing it will not contain is lousy freaking sparkly vampires!

**THIS STORY IS NOT CANON, it's not meant to be canon** so don't expect it to be! If you are expecting it to be I again mention how this story may not be for you and that you might want to chose to spend your time with a loved one, or maybe taking in a movie with a few friends.

**I also warn you Ranma** **will be much stronger than in canon. **Why, because that's how I want to write him for this tale. This is not to say he will be all powerful just that he will be stronger than most of the people he will meet in the beginning of this story due to trials he has been put through off screen. These will be revealed in time.

For those who fans of the traditional fiancée's, especially Akane,** THIS IS NOT FOR YOU**! I can also tell you that it will **NOT** be aBritanny & Ranma matchup, nor will it be a Were-Ranma story.

To those who are diehard 'Julia is the best fighter ever' you may take umbrage at how I portray her skills later on for though I agree that she is a warrior worth mention she is nowhere near the mythic levels people sometimes portray her to be after all she was almost defeated by Rook who was in turn defeated by Sheila by accident. (That is if my memory is serving me correctly and I am not confusing a fanfiction with the actual Gold Digger story. What can I say, I'm getting old and my memory sucks. Or maybe it always sucked. Beats me, I forget.)

**For ease of conversations it is going to be assumed** everyone speaks the same language (As they often do in many anime.) Should it be needed to show one that is not known by all present in the scene it will be noted as so. (Hopefully without creating inconsistencies. NOTE: Speaking may not mean reading.)

Oh, I also will not be naming the chapters beyond their numbers. Why? I don't want to have to think them up and you can't make me!

***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

If during the reading of this tale you happen to find any incomplete or half-finished sentences, spelling errors, grammar corrections, or things that just don't make sense please feel free to send me a **private message** so I might fix them as I do not have a beta reader for this tale. I thank you in advance for your efforts to make me less human. (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

**Final Note**: Flames for this story will be removed from the review list so don't bother posting them. Constructive criticisms are still welcomed though.

All this being said… **ON WITH THE TALE! **

Oh wait, I need to put in the story key, and then you can read it! Assuming you even want to after all that rambling you had to wade through above including this little bit right here!

**Story Key**

'_Italics_' = Thoughts

**Bold Words** = Stressed Thoughts Or Words; Loud Sounds

#Words# = Panda Signs

#-Words-# = Secret Tongue/Hand Signals/Other Hidden Means Of Communication

–Words– = Sounds

^Words^ = Chinese/Japanese/Other Language For The Scene.

**ooOOoo** = Perspective Or Time Change Within A Scene Or Location

-#-#-#- = Scene Or Location Change

***-*-*-*** = Letter Or Other Pertinent Information That Does Not Fit Into The Above Categories.

{-} = Radio/Phone/T.V. Communications

**-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-**

**Chapter One**

**-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-**

Nerima Japan, Unknown Warehouse

The sounds of an aged voice droning on in a rhythmic fashion were the first thing that impacted upon Ranma's slowly waking senses. Next came his sense of smell as two strong scents vied for his attention – those of food preparation spices and meditation incense. Lastly came his vision, though this was still slow in completely returning to normal for he saw only a fuzzy blackness through which a distant light was trying to make its way.

Lying wherever he was, and he knew he was lying for he could feel the cold surface upon which he rested, Ranma wondered where he was and why he seemed sluggish in not just body but mind. The last memories he had were of roof hopping on his way back to the Tendo Dojo after having been catapulted almost the whole way to Furinken by his supposedly only true fiancée all because he'd been trying to keep the old letch from stealing her panties… panties which he then of course got blamed for trying to take.

Attempting to sit up Ranma found his body unresponsive. He felt nothing holding him in place yet he could not bring his body to move even a muscle save for being able to open his still blurry eyes. The feeling of someone running their hands over his chest and legs made it abundantly clear he was not wearing a shirt or pants. In fact, if the cold breeze he felt around his waist was any indication he was without a stitch of clothing.

"Airen no struggle. Soon all be better." An all too familiar voice coo'd in his left ear.

Feeling the sensation one of Shampoo's hands caressing his cheek while her other trailed across his chest slowly going lower Ranma again tried to sit up but with the same results.

"Soon Airen be all Shampoo's just as should be." Shampoo purred as she caressed his nether regions rather possessively electing a reaction that Ranma couldn't prevent his body from making despite his revulsion at being taken advantage of. "Soon Shampoo and airen do bump bump just as Shampoo dream."

Trying to voice his anger at Shampoo's overly familiar fondling the pig tailed martial artist found he'd been robbed not only of his ability to move but of his capacity to speak as well.

"Airen no try to talk." The lusty Amazon whispered into his ear between nibbles. "Great grandmother say dust she use to get airen here keep you from moving for long time."

Ceasing her chanting Cologne spoke, "Shampoo, step away from son-in-law this instant! I will not have you smudging the paint on your body and messing up this spell! Now go stand at the end as I told you while I finish preparing son-in-law here."

He felt Shampoo give his cheek a soft kiss, "Airen soon be with Shampoo and we finally be happy. No try to fight ritual or great grandmother say it hurt."

"Do not make me remind you again!" the older woman barked making Shampoo's hand on his privates squeeze unexpectedly before withdrawing as she stepped away.

He could sense her moving away until she stood someplace near his feet.

"I know you are eager but once this is finished you shall have plenty of time to enjoy your husband child."

"Yes great grandmother. But Shampoo can hardly wait."

"You must learn patience."

"How long that take?" Shampoo asked and then giggled.

Whatever Cologne said next Ranma didn't understand for it was said in their native tongue, but it was obvious from the tone that Shampoo was being scolded harshly just as he knew the girl's whispered response showed her contrition.

Thinking that since neither had their attention on him Ranma again tried to make his body do anything other than just lay there. He had as much luck as previous attempts, which is to say none.

To his right he heard Cologne chuckle darkly, "Relax son-in-law, there's no point in wasting energy you'll need later when you consummate your marriage to my great granddaughter. Besides, even your miraculous recuperative abilities will do you no good in overcoming the drugs that are in your system until well after I am done."

Ranma managed a growl.

"You must give credit to the young Kuno girl for her botany skill yes?"

Her comment left him blinking in confusion over what did Kodachi had to do with his current predicament.

"It is her powders, or rather a derivative of one of them, that holds you captive. I dare say that some of my fellow elders have suggested the possibility of using the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique upon the girl as she might make excellent addition to the tribe once her madness is tempered by a loss of memory. Personally I'd not welcome her bloodline into our people for fear the madness that runs through her family would be passed down to her progeny."

His vision almost clear. Ranma directed the best glare he could at the old ghoul as she entered his view holding a bowl she'd been crushing something up in. He watched as she dipped a strangely symbol etched feather into it as she began to trace intricate lines across his shirtless chest. Where the feather touched his body it left behind an oddly tingling sensation not unlike when his arm or leg fell asleep.

Almost as if she could read his thoughts the aged matriarch let out an amused cackle, "You can think of escape all you wish son-in-law or of rescue. But I assure you no one is coming for none of your acquaintances either knows where you are or that you are in need of assistance. And since it has only been about an hour since your departure from the Tendo home they will no doubt believe you simply have chosen to take your time in returning as you have so many times before."

"And after great grandmother finish ritual airen no longer care to return!" Shampoo added from where she stood at his feet. Looking at her a now blushing Ranma immediately flicked his eyes away for the purple haired Amazon was nude – her body covered in oddly drawn symbols. Ones he was sure we're now being drawn on him as well.

"My great granddaughter is mostly correct son-in-law."

"But you said…"

"I said the ritual of Tah Seng Mah would bind you two together." Cologne said firmly. "That it would make it so son-in-law here would no longer deny your love and this will be so."

"But it will do much more than that great granddaughter. Much more."

"What else it do?"

"It will share his knowledge with you as you will share yours with him."

"Shampoo no have secrets for airen so what big deal?"

"For one, you'll finally learn to speak Japanese correctly instead of sounding like a half-wit!" The elder of the two spoke harshly to her younger counter-part, her hands never stopping in their painting. "Why you have not taken it upon yourself to do so in the time we've been here I will never know but if it had been out of sheer stubbornness to learn things of the outside world it is one I shall endeavor to break as knowledge, any knowledge, should be sought out by a perspective Elder so as to bring greater glory to our people."

"Shampoo no learn 'cause she think it make her sound too too cute."

"Be that as it may, once this ritual is done and has run its course you'll have a proper understanding of the Japanese language just as your husband will have one of ours."

"Aiyah! That be very very helpful! What else ritual do?"

Ranma too was curious.

"The ritual of Tah Seng Mah is ancient, older than perhaps even our tribe. Its true origins are shrouded in mystery but its original purpose is not."

"What purpose?"

Ranma felt the tip of the feather pause in its word, the hand holding it shaking for a brief moment. "The old way it was used is not nearly as benevolent for it was used as a means to drain a captive of their life. The sum total of their life."

"That very bad… we no do that to airen right?" Shampoo asked worriedly.

"Indeed we do not. To do so to any is punishable by death for the pain of the pain caused by such a use of the Tah Seng Mah is beyond imagining."

"Aiyah… must be very very very bad if punished by death."

Cologne nodded grimly. "The older the victim, the longer the process would take so that the recipient of the knowledge did not become overwhelmed by the memories of another. As time went on under the affects of the spell the victim would forget what was taken as their body would weaken while everything that made them who they are, both mentally and spiritually, was given over to the designated recipient."

"Our contribution to the ritual is the protective runes I've drawn upon you and I now draw upon son-in-law." Cologne's voice rose angrily. "That is why it is imperative you do not mar them!"

Shampoo's hand, which had been tracing one of the runes along the other stiffened, both of them shooting out leaving the girl standing like a T.

Seeing her granddaughter would now be more careful Cologne went back to her work, "Should only one of your symbols be intact that person would be the one protected and the other, regardless of whom it was, would be the one subjected to the true Tah Seng Mah."

"How this help Shampoo get airen again if only share knowledge?"

Cologne sighed, "The symbols I have drawn upon you and now son-in-law, also alter the original purpose of the ritual in a slight way. Changing it to a less equal sharing of knowledge giving you more than it will give him. It will also exchange emotion, from you to him, after a fashion."

"What that mean?"

"What it means great granddaughter, is son-in-law will know the love you have for him and it will overwrite any other emotions he has for you. The same of any feelings you have towards anyone in your life."

"You mean if Shampoo no like kitchen destroyer airen no like either?"

"Correct!"

"But airen will know feelings are false, he will fight."

Cologne's voice practically oozed with self-satisfaction as she spoke, "Not if he doesn't remember, which he will not after I use the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique to remove his memory of this event. To son-in-law it will seem normal as his emotions slowly shift towards you. Oh he may question why he is suddenly remembering things that are not his to recall… but that part of the spell will not kick in for months. At least not on the conscious level. Your memories, just as his to you, will come at first in dreams."

The younger girl gulped, "Shampoo no loose self yes? Shampoo no want to know all of airen's memories just want airen to give love to her. She not want to know Neko-Ken."

"Unfortunately there is no avoiding that great granddaughter. But remember; none of the emotions will come with his memories. For you it will likely mean a distaste for felines, but not son-in-laws fear." Cologne seemed to pause in thought for a second. "It may be that your own memories of being a cat may ease his fears."

"Is no cure for Neko-ken training great grandmother."

"Yes and no."

Both Ranma and Shampoo shared the same thought, though only shampoo was able to voice it, "What you mean yes and no? Either is cure or is not."

"Son-in-laws training in the Neko-ken is incomplete."

Again the young Amazon asked the question on the captive Neko-ken plagued boy. "You know how to finish?"

"No. I do not. If I did I would have offered such as an enticement to lure him to our tribe. However, once he has accepted his place among us I will redouble my efforts to find someone who does."

"Now I need you to remain silent for a bit as I need to ensure I do not make any mistakes with these final symbols."

"Yes great grandmother."

For Ranma the next twenty minutes seemed to be the longest of his life, save perhaps his time spent in the pit learning the Neko-ken.

He struggled against his body doing everything he could think of to make it move, anything and everything he knew to try to speed the drugs in his system along so he could get free but nothing worked.

Eventually, when Cologne began to paint the odd symbols on his face, she again spoke, her voice carrying all of her age and regret. "I truly wish that things had not come to this son-in-law."

Ranma's confusion as to how this could all be his fault shone in his eyes as he continued to be Cologne's captive audience.

"I had high hopes you'd fall for Shampoo's charms on your own making such methods unnecessary. And when I first came here I was prepared to release you from the kiss of marriage if it become clear you would never choose her but with your recent defeat of the Lord of Phoenix Mountain you have closed that avenue for us both."

Ranma blinked several times, his confusion increasing as he wondered why his rescuing of Akane had forced Cologne to take such drastic measures.

"You see son-in-law, I could pass of your defeat of the Prince of the Musk as a fluke to the other elders of the tribe… but defeating the Godling Saffron… no… there is simply no overlooking the benefit your bloodline would bring to our tribe. Now, if allowed Shampoo to return home without you they'd exact a price for her failure. A price I'm unwilling to allow her to pay as she is the last of my line and I will not see it ended simply because you cannot seem to choose what is best for you and accept your marriage to her as you should have from the beginning."

Ranma managed a gurgled sound of anger.

"What I do now I do to ensure my great granddaughter's safety just as what you did to earn you this fate was done to save the young Tendo girl. I'll not sit idly by and allow my great granddaughter to be forced to choose between death or banishment from the tribe just because some male refuses to accept his responsibilities when he should have come to realize the girl he chases after will never accept him."

The boy in question made another attempt to speak with the same gurgled results.

"How one who can be so brilliant in combat be unable to see what is right before him eludes me. How you cannot see the girls petty jealousy would consume her until it was all that was left or she brought you down to her level."

"As to Miss Kuonji. To think she could actually delude herself into believing someone of your talents could simply settle down to such a menial existence is beyond ludicrous. Even if I hadn't been forced down this path, I would've seen to it you never married either girl as it would have been a great injustice to let one of such talent to waste it in such a way as in some way I've come to think of you as the son I never had which is why doing this to you does indeed cause me pain."

He watched as the ancient matriarch wiped away a single tear that threatened to slide down her cheek.

"If I could change things I would but our paths are set and there is no going back. Shampoo will have you as her willing groom even if it is against your will. Even your death, accidental or otherwise, would not appease my fellow elders if she were to try to return without you."

"It eases my pain knowing once the binding is complete you'll not only come willing back to the village, but you'll openly accept your rightful position at my Shampoo's side as a dutiful male for it will be what you will 'feel' is the right thing to do. To you, going against my great granddaughter will simply be unthinkable for her wishes shall become yours."

Ranma managed a growl.

"I know my words may seem counter to my feelings of regret at doing this to you but they are true. Simply dragging you back to the village against your will would bring you no happiness but with you feeling as Shampoo does that will not be a factor. It is for that I am thankful as I do truly wish to see you happy though I doubt you see it that way…"

With those final words the diminutive Amazon returned to her painting as the pig-tailed martial artist continued to either will his body to move or pray to the Kami that someone, anyone, would interfere and rescue him er… allow him to get away… somehow.

As fate would have it there would be interruptions, ones which would result in unforeseen consequences for all involved, came from three common Nerima sources; Mousse, Happosai, and Tatewaki Kuno. These three, acting independently, would each contribute in their own way to Ranma's newest set of adventures.

One Tatewaki Kuno, The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. The self-proclaimed love of his Fierce Tigress, Akane and his Fiery, Pig-tailed girl. (Whose name he had only recently come to know as being Ranko. After he had paid a tidy sum to Nabiki.) Having been informed by his faithful Ninja Manservant, Sasuke, that Ranma was currently hiding out among the warehouses of the Nerima district.

Ranma was no doubt intending some nefarious deed, which would further keep his beloveds from showing their true feelings of devotion to him. Or worse, his pig-tailed nemesis could be holding his Fiery Goddess captive so that he might have his demonic way with her.

Armed with a new weapon, with which to banish the foul sorcerer forever from this world, in the form of a charm. He had discovered it among some ancient relics deep beneath his families ancestral mansion. Kuno was already on his way towards the very warehouse in which Ranma lay helplessly.

Coming from another direction the myopic warrior of the Chinese Amazons Mousse – self-proclaimed beloved and in his opinion the only man for Shampoo – escaped his incarceration within the birdcage the other two Amazons had placed him. He would've still been there had he not overheard bits and pieces of the Amazon elders plan which allowed him time to pre-prepare an antidote for the very paralyzation powder that now held Ranma prisoner – an antidote he was thankful he'd given himself earlier that evening when Cologne had dosed him as an added precaution against his interference. After freeing himself from his incarceration the Jusenkyo cursed martial artist headed towards the very location which the ritual was taking place praying he made it there before it was completed.

Lastly was one the ancient Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Martial arts, Happosai. The old letch had been out searching for his missing heir so that he could get in some proper training time; meaning the old letch was out collecting panties, several of which he planned to have his sexy little Ranma-chan don in return for learning at his feet – a place he firmly believed all of his students belonged. Happosai had in fact arrived at the warehouse half-way through Cologne's explanation of the ritual. To the old pervert he saw a way to gain Ranma's compliance for his own. Thus he sat hunched among the rafters waiting for an opportunity to co-opt the ritual, images of his darling Ranma-chan obeying his every whim dancing through his perverted little mind.

**ooO** Twenty Minutes Later **Ooo**

A night-blue fog billowed and flowed across the warehouse floor lending an unneeded eeriness to the ritual as it neared completion. Its dull color offset by the only other light source within, that of a golden hue which surrounded the central individual of the ritual taking place within the warehouses confines – Ranma.

Standing on the opposite side of the make-shift altar upon which the still paralyzed martial artist laid a nude Shampoo waited eagerly as Cologne, who stood on the opposite side from her great granddaughter her back to the front entrance to the warehouse, waved the short spear she held in her hand over the glowing boy.

The few final utterances of her part of the ritual flowing from her lips Cologne turned the spear about, haft towards her great granddaughter who accepted it with a few oddly sounding words. The ancient elder had hardly stepped away from the altar to make way for Shampoo's completion of their work when both Tatewaki Kuno and Mousse burst through opposite doors and entered the warehouse – Kuno from the front Mousse from the back – each shouting their intentions to free the objects of their obsessions from the currently immobile pig-tailed martial artist who was cursing his bad luck that it had to be two who wished him more harm than help that had come to his rescue.

Seeing Mousse chains speeding towards her frozen beloved Shampoo used the spear she'd been handed to redirect the streaming links of metal sending them crashing into Kuno launching him back out the door.

Dropping into a defensive position between Mousse and Ranma, spear held forward, Shampoo glared at her would-be lover. "What stupid duck boy think he doing?!"

"I'm saving you from making a most horrible mistake my darling Shampoo! A most horrible mistake it would be in deed if you were to be bound to anyone buy the one who truly loves you!" Mousse yelled in response, his arms already in motion launching a sink, three bags of ice and two pepper shakers towards his hated foe.

Swinging the spear in her hand around Shampoo deflected the sink, dodged the bag of melting ice for fear that its contents might trigger her curse or mar the delicate symbols on her body, sliced both pepper containers in half creating a cloud of black dust that billowed and surrounded both her and Ranma's unmoving form.

Leaping towards Mousse, her melon-maces replacing the spear she'd tossed on the altar beside her still unmoving love interest, Shampoo declared her intentions to pound Mousse for his actions. "Shampoo see she need to re-teach Mousse how Shampoo feel about him!"

Not truly hearing the venom behind his beloveds words Mousse opened his arms in welcome "Oh Shampoo my love finally you come to my ar…oof!" only to double over upon the impact of one mace to his stomach – an action that put him in position to receive the second mace across the back of his skull sending the love-struck male face first into the cement floor of the warehouse.

"Shampoo! Get back to son-in-law! Complete the ritual!" Cologne stepped between her and the duck cursed male. "I will take care of this pest."

"Yes great grandmother!"

Bounding quickly across the distance between her the altar seat herself upon her would-be-husband all too happy to nestle her rear against the frozen boy's hips knowing that the two areas were also safe as neither had any symbols to mar there. Picking up the spear she touched the tip of it to his chest.

"Now Airen be mine and we be together for long long time."

Her anticipated moment of victory seemed to last forever and it seemed that nothing could prevent her from finally claiming the man she loved. That is until Shampoo felt a hand clench her throat and another grip the arm which held the spear.

The purple-tressed Amazon again went flying across the room, this time to crash with some force into the cement outer wall of the warehouse. As she shook of the daze of the impact Shampoo found it hard to believe the one who had thrown her away was the very person she had been trying make hers. A person whom, by all accounts, should not have been able to move until paralytic poison in his system ran its course.

"How you move?!" Shampoo half-shrieked.

Mousse's muffled laughter brought her attention to the boy as he pulled himself free from the floor where she'd thrown him, no sign of her great grandmother anywhere. Knowing that Ranma's miraculous recovery had something to do with her annoying suitor she was on him in an instant, pulling his still semi-limp body up by the front of his robes to bring his face close to hers.

"What Mousse do?!" Shampoo snarled.

"Save you… mistake…" Mousse managed to whisper through clenched teeth.

With no regard for the pain she was causing him Shampoo shook the robe wearing boy. "WHAT YOU DO?!"

"Looks like I owe ya one Mousse." Ranma growled out.

Briefly turning towards the still glowing Ranma Shampoo could see he was brushing something off his arms, chest, and face; black flakes of something.

Looking down she could see she too was covered with black flakes. Bringing a pinch of the substance up to her nose she sniffed; and in that sniff it became immediately clear that whatever had been in the shakers had not been pepper as it smelled like freshly cut grass.

With wide eyes Shampoo regarded the love-obsessed boy she still held in a death grip.

"If Mousse no throw pepper in shaker… what you throw?"

"Antidote… Kodachi… powder." Mousse barely managed to croak due to Shampoo's twisting of the front of his robe practically strangling they myopic boy. "Had… had to save you… from horrible mistake…"

Mousse was saved a true near-death beating by obsession thanks to her being distracted by the sudden sensation of something, or rather someone, fondling her bared bosoms in a very unwelcome fashion. Casting her eyes downward she found herself meeting the soulful eyes of the master of Anything Goes.

"Sooo firm… so perfectly round… and all oiled up for play!" Happosai cooed happily as he nestled his bald-head deeper between her exposed cleavage, the oil based paint on her breasts smearing under his ministrations.

Releasing Mousse from her death grip Shampoo screamed in righteous womanly fury taking a swing at Happosai who'd performed a perfect motorboat maneuver upon her chest before leaping away to land atop the altar next to his chosen heir.

Glaring at the diminutive pervert Shampoo took a step forward intending to smash him for taking liberties with her body only to find her path blocked by her great grandmother's staff.

"Why you stop me from bashing pervert!"

"Foolish child, if you approach son-in-law now you will not be protected from the ritual!" Cologne tapped Shampoos chest with the tip of her cane making the girl look down at the ruined symbols adorning her chest. "The interfering old fool smeared the protective runes when he groped you."

"What we do now Great grandmother?"

"We both must leave here for the magic of the ritual will seek out a person of opposite sex with which to complete the transfer! If it finds none within range it shall simply dissipate quickly. So long as son-in-law remains here no one should be in danger."

Turning to flee out the nearest doorway they beheld Kuno's swaggering re-entrance into the warehouse, acting as if he owned the place – which in fact his family did. The wanna-be samurai briefly surveyed the other occupants before resting his clearly disdainful gaze upon the still glowing Ranma who'd caught Happosai and was keeping him from chasing after Shampoo out of habit more than actually being nice to the normally bubbly Amazon. That and when Happosai had leapt up on the alter he'd landed on Ranma's family jewels.

"You see Sasuke! I see I was correct! The foul wretch was performing some foul sorcerous spell to ensnare more women to his vile and debaucherous ways! But with the guidance of the heavens I, the Righteous Blade of Heaven, have arrived in time to thwart your evils!"

"I ain't got time for you right now Kuno… so why don't ya go play in the street or something." Ranma said, a foot firmly holding the squirming Happosai to the altar.

"You think yourself wise enough to advise a scion of the House of Kuno on what to do?!" Kuno thrust his bokken forward. "Thou aren't fit to suggest the color of what undergarments one such as I should wear let alone on this! And do you think me a fool that I would heed such advice in the first place? That I, the glorious Blue Thunder of Furinkan High would leave so as to allow your acts of evil to go unchallenged!"

Slashing his blade downwards in a dismissive gesture her declared "Never!" yelled "Now Sasuke, do as your master has bid!".

"Yes master!" came the whiskered ninja's reply as he suddenly descended to before the alter on a rope from the rafters above to drop his master's charm at Ranma and Happosai's feet as he'd been instructed to do.

"What's that supposed to do?" Ranma asked, his grinding Happosai beneath his foot temporarily forgotten.

"So thou wish to know what that is O-foul-one?! I shalt tell you! It tis the instrument of salvation for all those you have bewitched!" Kuno pontificated, his hands at his hips and his head thrown back for a brief bout of laughter. "Now, I, Tatewaki Kuno, Samurai and Lord of this domain demand that you be gone forever! By the words of power, Tsail Khoru Jahai I banish your wretchedness to the rifts between worlds!"

In response to his words the amulet glowed.

"Oh crap…" Ranma said even as he felt the change of his curse roll over him thanks to the flask of water the ancient pervert beneath his foot tossed at him. The cursed martial artist said no more as he was pulled into a swirling vortex of red light that erupted from the amulet. Happosai, who had managed to leap about a foot away from his unwilling apprentice, was caught in its grasp next though the glow that pulled him in had a bright gold tint to it.

And just like that Ranma and Happosai had vanished leaving behind a laughing Kuno, an unconscious Mousse, a crying Shampoo, and one very peeved elder Amazon who was already stomping her way towards the oblivious kendoist even as the doors once again bust open and more of those who had an interest in Ranma's life poured in.

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**Additional Thanks**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

Genhoss – For his wonderful advice, ideas, corrections, suggestions, & critiques. (But not Beta Reading. I didn't have the heart to ask him to.)

To My Friends – For putting up with me babbling about my writing when they have zero interest in fanfiction and for their occasional quote or unintentionally given idea.

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**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**Once again**, I thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review, don't leave a review, either is good. But I do ask you take a moment in your day and make a friend laugh.

**Additional thank you to** Demodragon and Sprokavriel for pointing out a few mistakes in the original posting of this chapter.

Oh, and remember, real bunnies do not make good slippers.

Depends on your method of making the bunnies into slippers. There are a few  
>dozen ways that make really comfortable and warm ones. Of course for enough<br>material you are usually looking at 2-4 bunnies (Depending on which kind) per  
>slipper. They can be made entire out of rabbit even if Cow Leather or rubber<br>make better soles for them. - Spokavriel

Not if they are still alive! Well, not without making one heck of a mess.

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– Revised April 12th, 2011 –

– Revised September 3rd, 2011 – (Cleaned up a few things as well as fixed some errors)

– Revised April 15th, 2013 – (Spokavriel Corrections)


	2. Chapter 2

**MORE OR LESS**

**Disclaimer, Warning, Story Key**: See Chapter One. I don't feel like repeating myself.

***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

By chance, should you happen upon any incomplete or half-finished sentences, spelling errors, grammar corrections, or things that just don't make sense as you read, I invite you to send me a **private message** so that I can remove or correct them. Thank you. I am human, thus I make mistakes. Help me be less human! (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

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**Chapter Two**

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Almost Seven Years Later, Kahn's Personal Quarters In The Library Of Time, Shangri-La

The Chief Sage and Head Librarian of Shangri La had just closed the door to his room behind him, his last thoughts before leaving the room he was previously in was to see to it the keep proper was sealed so as to prevent any of his fellow sages from walking in on his guest and possible love interest; one Gina Diggers. The woman had not seen him depart as she herself was indisposed making use of his personal bathroom in preparation for the fun she planned to have with him. Thus were neither present to bear witness to the arrival of their unexpected visitor – the long lost Empress of Shangri-La, Lynn.

"At long last we've made it home Subtracto!" The black-haired girl said grinning widely.

From behind her a seamless orb of silvery metal floated, "My readings support your statement but I must correct you. This is your home Lynn. My home was where we first met. The Astral Rifts."

"Ha ha! You can't spoil my good mood Subtracto! Not only have I managed to get home but I've also managed to ditch my sadistic sensei in the process! I just hope she doesn't find me too quickly…"

"I hardly think your sensei is sadistic. A bit on the reckless side yes, but I do not believe the things she required of you as part of your training gave your sensei personal pleasure."

Lynn gave the talking sphere a 'are you nuts' look.

"I did not say your sensei took no pleasure from it, I simply meant she did not do it for the sake of your pain which would give credence to your sadistic comment. And remember, she did warn you that she would not go easy on you and yet, against my advice, you willingly accepted her as your sensei."

"Don't remind me…" Lynn posed before a mirror on the wall. "Still, it had its advantages… I've never looked so firm and fit."

"Indeed. You have also become a much better warrior under her tutelage." The orb floated around examining the room. "I must inquire, are you sure this is Shangri-La? Our trans-gate jump was done rather hastily in an effort to leave before your sensei found us."

"This is definitely it! In fact!" Lynn raced over to a shelf where a small badly made vase containing a few white lilies sat. "We're in Sage Kahn's quarters!"

"What facts do you have to support this belief?"

The girl held up the item in question allowing the floating orb to see her name carved into the bottom it. "I made this for him shortly before I was banished from Shangri-La."

The black-haired Empress gave a giddy laugh as she rubbed the vase against a cheek. "Won't he be pleased to see his mate-to-be back safe and sound?!"

"Mate-to-be? Kahn? According to previous descriptions you gave to your sensei he barely knew your name prior to your forceful ejection into the Astral Rifts."

Lynn spun around now gleefully hugging the vase to her chest. "That was before Subtracto!"

"I'm no longer shy like I was back then. Now I have beauty! Now I have strength! Now I have confidence!" She hefted up her breasts. "Now I have breasts!"

"You also have something else you did not have before." Subtracto slipped in.

The black-haired beauty looked at the orb over her shoulder inquisitively, "Oh, and what's that?"

"Experience in sexual endeavors."

"I told you never to bring that up again!" A blushing Lynn attempted to swat the floating orb but it danced beyond her reach "Besides… sensei and I are both girls so technically I'm still a virgin!"

If an orb could shrug one would have seen Subtracto to exactly that. "While correct, I believe from your previous grumblings you have yet to fully resolve the issue to your satisfaction. Given what I know of your feelings on the matter I believe it would be prudent to put one relationship behind you before attempting to enter into another."

The young Empress returned the vase to its shelf, her mood clearly soured if the sad expression on her face was any indicator. "Doesn't matter what I think. Sensei made it clear that what happened was a mistake… that she doesn't feel the same way about me as I do."

"Lynn, I think given time to accept what hap… ALERT! My sensors detect the presence of someone coming this way!"

"Coming here?" Lynn asked after which her expression brightened. "It must be Kahn!"

Eyes shining excitedly the young empress dimmed the lights of the room even as she hopped around attempting to remove her clothing as quickly as possible. "Quick hide yourself!"

Floating practically in the disrobing girls face the metallic orb bobbed excitedly, "What are you doing crazy human!?"

"Getting undressed and sneaking into his bed. What's it look like?" Lynn responded as she hopped around trying to get her underwear off after which she kicked both them and her dress under the edge of the bed so as to not give her presence away to her would-be mate.

"Do you think this course of action is advisable… as I said you still have unresolved…"

Slipping under the covers an angry Lynn cut the orb off, "Me and sensei are just that! Student and teacher! Now disappear! I'll call you when I'm done!"

"Very well." The orb floated up towards the ceiling where it vanished from sight with a audible pop. "For the record, again, I think you are rushing into things, as usual."

"Shoo!" The _odango_-haired girl commanded under the blankets.

Had she been peeking from under the covers she would have seen that the one entering the room was not her beloved Kahn but rather an equally clothing deficient Gina Diggers who's last words to the Chief Sage of Shangri La had been to playfully scold him about being undressed when she got back. Believing it to be him who dimmed the lights and was now hidden under the covers the blonde archeologist slipped beneath them as well.

No sooner than Gina was under the blankets did the room's owner return.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting Gi…" Khan, Keeper of the Library of Time, stopped before his now closed door to stare in confusion at how the sheets of his bed were moving as well as the soft sexual moans that were coming from beneath it. "Gina?"

"Jinkies. What happened to all those deliciously hard **muscles**? They seem softer somehow… but not in a bad way…" Gina's voice came from under the blanket.

"My muscles? What happened to **your** chest Kahn?"

"I'm not Kahn."

The lone male of the room yanked the blankets off the bed revealing the much unexpected sight of the two nude women with their hands upon the others rather sizable chests giving each other testing gropes.

Empress Lynn's eyes narrowed as she looked up into the wide eyes of the man she previously believed she was in bed with. "Kahn…" –grope– "…would you care to tell me just why…" –caress– "…this…" –squeeze– "…woman is in your bed?"

She then looked down at Gina with a more apprising glance as well as a few more gropes before adding "Besides the obvious reason.".

A look said girl did not feel comfortable in receiving given the way she blushed and turned her head aside followed by scuttling backwards on the bed to free herself from Lynn's rather proficient hands. Gina opened her mouth to give the stygian haired girl a piece of her mind when she was instead introduced to the Empresses foot as she flipped out of the bed using her face as a bracing point.

"Perhaps you could also explain why you are naked as she?" The nude Empress took the time to appreciate Kahn's unclothed body, her eyes scanning him from head to waist where they paused. "Not that I mind the view."

Kahn watched as Lynn used her toes to scoot her clothing from the floor to her hands with surprising ease. "E…Empress Lynn?! How did you get back? We thought you lost forever!"

"Oh…" The girl in question directed seething looks at him while slipping on her underwear, "And that's enough of a reason to crawl into bed with some barely adequately breasted floozy?!"

"Adequate…" Gina mimicked distractedly as she hefted her breasts; that is until the latter half of what Lynn said hit her. "Floozy!"

"Here I spent five years searching for a way to get back, the last two which I spent suffering through things I don't even want to think about, only to find my beloved about to hop into bed with this..." Lynn waved a hand in the direction of the still recovering Gina "…blonde."

Lynn's eyes dipped lower on Gina's body, a smirk forming on her lips. "At least she's a natural one."

Red faced, Gina's hands immediately flew from her breasts to between her legs as they clamped together.

"Me?" Kahn pointed at himself. "Your beloved? I didn't think you were interested in me."

"Well, you're wrong."

"I can't believe you felt me up…" Gina growled.

"Yeah, well, get over it girly 'cause it's the last thrill I'm ever gonna give you." Lynn shot back without missing a beat making the blonde adventurer again sputter in embarrassment. "And don't try to deny it, not with those moans you were making. You, however, really need to learn to be better with those hands. Talk about inexperienced."

Gina's mouth popped open though no sound came out.

"Wait-a-minute!" Lynn paused in her efforts to get dressed, only her underwear having made it on. "The Codex says you are not allowed to mate with anyone other than the Empress or a fellow Sage so what's going on here?!"

"But Gina is a Sage!" Kahn defended himself. "And I'm with her now!"

It was Lynn's turn to sputter. "Y…you… an… and… this… this… gorilla-handed know nothing… **NEVER!**"

Lynn whirled on Gina who'd just managed to pull herself to a seated position on end of the bed. "**YOU**!**!** I challenge you to a duel in accordance with the Laws of the Codex! The winner wins Kahn!"

"Wha?"

Cracking her knuckles the young Empress grinned down at the shocked blonde, "Let me explain it in words even you can understand sister. You accept and it means a fist-beating at my hands, refuse and that pretty little head comes off your shoulders! Such are the laws of the Codex!"

"Time out!" Gina yelled, her hands held before her in the shape of a 'T'. "This woman storms in on my party, feels me up, stomps me in the face, insults my figure, ruins the whole mood, and now she wants me to fight her and if I refuse I get taken out behind the woodshed and put down like a rabid dog? Tell this is some kind of joke."

"The only joke around here is you butterball."

"BUTTERBALL!" Gina cried in outrage, forgetting to keep herself appropriately covered in the process.

"I suppose butterball is a bit harsh." Lynn gave Gina a brief leer causing the blonde to try to hide her assets from inspection. "I mean sure you have a little bit of baby fat still clinging to your thighs, ass, and cheeks… I think you might even have a double chin thing going there. Still, your breasts are kinda nice… for fakes that is."

Gina leapt to her feet pushing to get past Kahn who held his ground. "I'LL SHOW YOU FAKE! I accept your challenge!"

"This is gonna be fun." Lynn cracked her knuckles looking ready to start the fight right there.

"I see I cannot alter you from this path as Gina has accepted." Moving to interpose himself between them Kahn held up a hand in a waiting gesture. "However, since you are the one who issued the challenge, and Gina sought my hand first, I think it is only right she decides what the first contest is. If you lose, you lose the challenge."

"Why thank you Kahn!" Gina hugged him from behind making sure to rub herself against him not just for her own enjoyment but to see her rival's reaction; she wasn't disappointed by either as Lynn clenched her fists and glared. "Ok Lynn, to win, just answer this tiny weenie trivia question."

"Very well. I am good at trivia questions!"

"The topic: Chemistry." Gina moved out from behind Kahn, arms held across her chest. "What is the molecular weight of Freon-114B2."

Lynn stared unseeing for a moment before stuttering, "Um… uh… huh?"

Gina went back to hugging Kahn, this time from the front, "Lock the door on the way out honey! Me and my hunky librarian have some unfinished business to attend to."

"Not so fast harlot…" The young Empress snapped her fingers. "Subtracto!"

The silvery orb reappeared floating at Lynn's shoulder with an audible pop, "At your service."

"Can you answer that question?"

"But of course. I specialize in Earth Science. The answer is 259.9."

"Hey wait a minute!" Gina stepped away from Kahn to look at the floating orb in curiosity "I asked Lynn that question not you!" then turned back to him. "Is she allowed to do that?!"

"Of course I can. This is Subtracto, a computer I befriended during my stay in the Astral Rifts. I appoint it as my champion for your contest."

"That can't be right!"

"I am afraid it is allowable. In a lawfully given challenge either party may select a Champion during each round. The Champion must be someone who is not from Shangri-La and I am afraid this Subtracto, though a machine, qualifies."

"And now that I've won your pathetic contest we shall move on to mine! You and me, on the roof in ten minutes, we fight until one of us gives in or can't move. So get dressed and get that turkey butt moving." Pausing at the door Lynn threw Gina another leering look. "Unless of course you want to fight me in the nude."

"Um… I think I'll get dressed…" Gina said then turned to Kahn. "Um… got anything I can wear to get my butt kicked in? I don't know… something that goes with a black-eye?"

**ooO** Ten Minutes Later **Ooo**

In Kahn's now empty room a second portal opened through which another female stepped, a red-head whose modesty was protected by two strips of worn tiger striped leather under which rather expensive leopard spotted silk lingerie peaked out.

To her right was similar floating ball of metal as to the one that came through with Lynn save this one was gold in coloration; while towering to her left stood a eight foot high sleekly muscled red-hued quadruped looking something like a cross between a dinosaur, a panther, and a bear trap, with long powerful talons, a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and eighteen inch fangs. Everything about the creature screamed predator; even the beasts tail looked like it could be used as highly effective bludgeoning weapon.

"I am detecting Subtraco's presence above us despite his attempts to obscure his signature." The orbs lyrical female voice commented as it, like the one before it, started to float around the room examining it.

"That means the brat can't be far away." Doing a quick examination of the room herself Ranma snagged up a few items she figured the rooms owner wouldn't mind losing; a bed sheet, one of the three pillows on the bed, several grapes from a tray, and a rolled up newspaper as well as several smaller objects that might be used as weapons in a pinch. All of these items, except the grapes which were eaten, vanished into Ranma's stuff-space.

"Indeed. I am sensing her now as well as two others."

The beast to Ranma's left growled, the sound of it vibrating what glass there was within the bed-chamber.

"No. I think it best if you keep yourself hidden for now Khuva. We don't want to scare the locals." The five foot four-ish martial artist chided her companion while patting the beast on its front foreleg.

With a querulous growl and the appearance of two tiny glowing slits along its shoulders the beast shimmered seemingly to decrease in size even as it faded from sight.

"Ranma." The floating orb moved back in front of her. "From the data I have collected I have deduced there is a ninety nine point nine percent likelihood of this being your point of origin."

Ranma snatched the talking orb out of the air and held it shaking before her with both hands, "What?!"

"Your resonance reading and that of this dimension are nearly in perfect alignment. This leads me to conclude we have trans-gated to the dimension from which you originally hailed."

"Home…"

"ALERT! I am picking up a subspace aperture of a magical nature forming on the roof above very close to where Empress Lynn is located."

"Great, now what had the nitwit gotten herself into. I suppose I should go bail her haughtiness out. Again."

**ooO** Up On The Roof **Ooo**

Gina had originally been losing the challenge to her more martially trained opponent only to be saved when her sister arrived through a magical portal and saved her. Lynn immediately took this to mean Britanny was now her opponents champion thus the challenge continued, this time heavily in favor of the werecheetah as Lynn simply did not possess the speed to block the blows thrown her way rustling in her current situation, sitting on her rear upon the roof Kahn's domicile.

"Yes, you are right, you are better than I…" Lynn bitterly growled out as she got to her feet on her own, a hand going to the small of her back. "But I won't lose to you no matter what!"

"Argh! My eyes!" Britanny yelled as the dust the smaller girl had thrown in her face blinded her.

"Shadow Dust kitty-cat!" Lynn taunted haughtily "It's only found in the Astral Rifts and I just gave you a dose large enough to blind ten dragons for a year!"

The smirking Empress was just about to renew her attacks against her foe when she heard a familiar voice shout of "LYNN! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?!" from behind her.

"EEP!" The Empress jumped back, hands going behind her back, eyes tracking over to Ranma as she approached.

"Se…sensei! Wh… when did you get here!?"

"Not soon enough seein' as your already in a fight." Ranma stomped past her and over to Britanny who was rubbing her eyes. Gina too approached curious as to who Ranma as well as concerned for her sister. "I thought I told ya never to use that stuff unless ya had no choice!"

"But I… she…"

Kneeling down Ranma gently but forcibly prevented Britanny from further rubbing her eyes, "Stop. That only grinds the dust in deeper."

"How else am I supposed to get it out!" The blind werecheetah growled out.

"Here, this should help." Ranma placed a softly orange glowing hand over the werecheetah's eyes.

"Hey, that does feel better! What did you do?"

The glow fading Ranma withdrew her hand. "A little somethin' I learned. No biggie."

Gina, who now stood at her sister's side, broke in, "Who are you?"

Seeing an opportunity Lynn spoke before Ranma could, "She's my champion!"

"I'm/She's your what?" Ranma, Britanny, and Gina voiced at the same time.

"That's right." Lynn responded haughtily. "You've chosen this kitty-cat as your champion, I choose my sensei as mine!"

Britanny, now able to see again, sized Ranma up. "This pip-squeak, she's gonna fight me in your place?"

"That's right kitty-cat! I choose my sensei as my champion. Now either forfeit or fight!"

"What if I don't want to fight?" Ranma asked.

"But sensei you have to! It's an honor challenge!"

"An honor challenge?" Ranma sighed at his students nod. "Fine. But you 'n I are gonna have a serious 'talk' when this is over. Got it?"

"Hai sensei! The fight is to submission or unconsciousness." Lynn then turned to Britanny, an unfriendly smile on her face as she stepped away from the two fighters. "You are soooo gonna hurt."

The pig-tailed martial artist shook her head as she turned to face Britanny with a stretch of her arms over her head to limber up a bit, "So, you ready for this? Yer eyes ok now?"

"Yup. Thanks for that, but I gotta warn ya I'm gonna make this fast. I've already wasted enough time with little miss slowpoke over there and me 'n sis kinda got some stuff to do."

"Sure. I'd like a hot bath 'n some real clothes so that works for me. Just to keep things fair we'll start this when…" Ranma gave Gina a questioning look.

"Gina."

"When Gina counts down from five. Ok?"

Britanny cracked her knuckles "Fine by me. Start counting sis."

When Gina reached one Britanny went into motion, speeding forward like a bullet out of a gun. Her eyes widened significantly when instead of her haymaker hitting home it sailed through the afterimage of her target. She turned towards the blurring motion to her left too late as a pair of twin blows struck her; one in her sternum, the other to her legs. Her feet fell out from beneath her even as the air rushed out of her lungs. After hitting the roof face forward with an audible crunch she felt a knee being firmly placed in the middle of her back as well as one of her arms being hauled up behind her where it was twisted painfully for a brief moment letting her know what kind of predicament she was in.

"You got two choices." Ranma tugged back on her arm making the werecheetah wince "Give, or try something stupid. What's it gonna be?"

Her tail snaking forward Britanny wrapped it around one of Ranma's legs to yank the surprised the red-head off of her. Thinking to capitalize on her escape Britanny rolled left seeking to deliver a punch to Ranma's side only to receive foot to her face with enough force to send her sliding on her back across the rooftop for several feet.

Flipping tail over head once Britanny came up on all fours where she eyed a smirking Ranma who stood there blowing on her fingers as if drying them.

"They always try something stupid…" Ranma uttered shaking her head then added "So, thought ya said ya we're gonna to finish this up fast?" mockingly.

Eyes narrowing to slits, mouth compressing into a line from which her fangs poked, the muscular werecheetah growled out "Oh yeah, you're goin' down."

Ranma knelt down on one knee, a hand held forward her fingers wiggling as she made little noises, "Here kitty kitty kitty…"

Roaring in anger Britanny surged forward, her body breaking the sound barrier as she called upon every ounce of speed she could. At the last second she peeled right, a leg going out for a trip instead of the direct punch. Much to her delight Ranma didn't even stand up or withdraw the hand she was holding forward – said delight turned to confusion and disorientation when she found herself rocketing uncontrollably skyward.

Lynn and Gina craned their heads upwards watching Britanny hurtle into the air. Both brought their gazes back down when they heard Ranma chuckling softly. The red-head stood with a hand over her eyes as if shading them despite the fact there was neither sun to blind her or that Britanny hadn't actually flown that far up.

"I tawt I taw a puddy tat!" Ranma quoted, the evil smirk on her face growing in intensity.

Ranma pointed excitedly into the air when the werecat began her descent; "I did, I did tee a puddy tat!" she then stepped back avoiding Britanny's uncontrolled crash into the roof.

Chuckling to herself as she walked over towards the groaning werecheetah Ranma chuckled, "She fall down go boom." She then kneeled down to poke Britanny a few times. "Hey. Ain't cats supposed 'ta land on their feet?"

"Ha ha…owie… You know I'm soooo going to pound you… right after I pop my spine back into place" Britanny responded while trying to pull herself back together from her fall.

"Nah, I don't think so. After all, you said you were in a hurry so enjoy your headache."

"Wha?"

Ranma's left hand flashed out grabbing the back of the werecheetah's head to forcibly drive Britanny face first into the roof about a dozen times in under a second. The repeated blows were enough to send the werecheetah into unconsciousness.

Dusting off her hands Ranma walked over Britanny's downed body eliciting several pops from her spine.

"Hey!" Gina cried out angrily at seeing her sister get treated like a fur rug. "You beat her what's with walking over my sister like that?"

"Huh? Oh, that?" the leather glad martial artist shrugged "Just poppin' her spine back in place. Trust me, she'll feel a lot better than if I hadn't."

"Oh… um… so she's…"

"Sleeping like a kitten…" Chuckling at her own humor Ranma interrupted the blonde. "Other than wakin' up with one heck of a headache she'll be fine."

"So… Who are you?"

"Sorry about this, I'm Ranma Saotome." The red-head said with a half-smile while scratching the back of her hair which even after the years of her disappearance she still maintained in a pig-tail.

"Now, how about someone…" She turned her full attention upon Lynn, a frown on her lips. "…tell me what this was all about?"

**ooO **A Few Minutes Later **Ooo**

A clearly irate Ranma paced before Gina and Lynn as they sat on the couch in the room the group had moved to. Pensively staring at her hands the normally haughty Empress couldn't bring herself to look up at her teacher in the arts for she knew that Ranma was as angry as she'd ever seen her, though she thought it was because of her attempt to blind the werecheetah. She even dared to hope that perhaps it was anger born of jealousy that she was seeking someone else as a companion after Ranma had, in her mind, dismissed the feelings she had for the some-times male. She was mistaken on both accounts.

"Ok… let me get this straight. This whole fight, the reason me and that cat-girl…"

"Britanny, my sister. She's a werecheetah not a cat-girl."

"Right." Ranma gave the still unconscious girl on the couch behind her a glance then turned back to the two before her while waving a hand in Britanny's direction. "So the whole reason I ended up fightin' sleeping beauty there was because my student challenged you to a battle over him?" she then pointed at the male seated in a chair at the end of the small area between the two couches where Ranma was pacing.

"Kahn, Chief Librarian of Shangri-La" The male in question provided.

"Right. Nice to meet ya."

Given the situation Kahn was unsure of how to respond so he simply nodded.

"Anyway, like I was sayin' This whole thing was over him? And your sister ended up as your champion like I did Lynn's?"

"Basically." Gina answered.

Ranma, an eyebrow twitching, glared at her student. "A fight that your laws say you have ta accept the winner as your mate?"

"Yes."

"And ya plan to follow through with the law?"

Kahn gave Gina, who was now looking at him expectantly, a sad look, then firmly met Ranma's stare to nod. "It is the law."

"Idiot." Ranma spat out before turning to Gina and bowing to her. "Look, um Gina right?" At seeing her nod Ranma went on. "If I'd known what that fight was all about I never would'a allowed it 'n because I did, you got hurt."

Gina sniffed, holding back a few tears which made Ranma once again glare at both his student and her paramour.

"Honor demands that I owe ya… plus I honestly feel like a jerk for everything that's happened because of… her Empressness." Ranma reached into the valley her leather bra created to pull out a fire-engine red gemstone no bigger than a quarter which she held out towards the blonde. "Take this. Should ya ever need me just crush it and I'll come as quick as I can. Barring that if you ever need me you can probably find me in Nerima, you know, Japan."

"Um thanks." Gina said eyeing the odd stone in her hand.

Ranma then turned towards Kahn, a cloudy expression on her face. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble could I bother you for a bit of hospitality? A bath 'n maybe some real clothes?"

"Of course. This way." Kahn said standing to his feet and heading towards the door.

"Sensei?" Lynn's soft voice called out as Ranma reached the doorway.

In response Ranma stood straight and without turning around said "Don't call me that anymore." in a dead tone.

Lynn looked like she'd been slapped.

"You 'n me, we're done. We're home now 'n you got yer precious Kahn ya don't need me anymore. Besides, I got my own life to get back to."

"But sensei…"

"Stop callin' me that. I ain't your teacher anymore. We're done. You are no longer my student." Lynn sobbed slightly, a hand going to her mouth as Ranma continued without turning to face her. "You can continue to use what I taught ya, but you got no right to either teach it to anyone or to claim to be a part of my school. Not after this shit."

"Sensei!" Lynn practically leapt to her feet, shock and dismay clear on her face. Seeing she had an audience she schooled her emotions behind her normal mask of haughtiness. "Why would you do this?! Is this because I used the Shadow Dust? If it is I'm sorry, it was a mistake! One I promise I won't repeat it again. I swear this as Empress of Shangri-La!" her voice went from haughty to child-like. "Besides, everything turned out for the best. The werecheetah is fine, you won the fight and now Kahn is mine."

Lynn jumped backwards on to stand on the cushions of the couch while pressing herself against the wall behind it in response to look Ranma directed at her over her shoulder.

"This isn't 'cause you used the Shadow Dust this is 'cause no one should **ever** be treated like a prize." Ranma stated with a great deal of emotion. "'Cause no law should have the right ta decide who anyone can 'n can't be with."

"The law has served our people well since…" Kahn started to explain only to have Ranma cut him off.

"Screw your laws! Screw any law like that! I'll die before I follow any law like that 'n I'll be damned if I allow anyone who believes in something like that call herself my student!"

"Um… I think that everyone just needs to calm down." Gina said while gesturing with her hands up and down before her.

"Yer right." Ranma then closed his eyes, reign in his emotions before opening them to look upon Lynn – his contempt for her showing in his eyes. "But what I said stands, I'm not yer master anymore. I'm sorry I ever was."

With a sob Lynn held out a hand towards Ranma, her voice soft "But what about…"

"But nothing. You got your life, I got mine and I sure as hell don't want anyone in it who treats others like their property or tricks me into doin' it for them."

Lynn's grief flared to anger. "HOW DARE YOU! We're not out in the wilds anymore and you will give me the respect that is my due as Empress!"

A stone faced Ranma turned her away from the girl, "I'm not one of yer subjects and with laws that let you treat people like objects I'd never want ta be. If I'd of known you were willing to do something like to someone all because ya wanted to be with them I would've never taken' you as my student. You're no better than a stinkin' Amazon."

Gina mouthed the word Amazon wondering why Ranma had uttered it with such hatred that she could almost feel the emotion behind it.

"Sad too. I was kinda starting to like the idea of havin' you around." Ranma said almost wistfully, her shoulders sagging briefly before her stance and voice became once again hard. "But I could never be with anyone who'd do what you just did to these two. Never."

"Get out." Lynn uttered with her head bowed, fists clenched at her sides.

"Trust me. I'm goin'" Ranma stepped through the now open doorway, Kahn moving to follow her out.

"Kahn!" Lynn said, her voice rose so that it would be heard even outside the room. "You will see to it that that… woman… receives what she requests, supplies, a bit of rest, but I want her gone within a day and once she leaves here she is never to be allowed to return."

"As you wish Empress."

Once the door closed, Lynn collapsed back on the couch and began sobbing. Such was her grief that she cared little whose shoulder she found herself crying into as Gina put her arms around her comfortingly. The blonde didn't know what to make of the situation except that it was clear that the girl in her arms and the one who had just left had been more than just student and teacher.

It was to this Britanny awoke, sitting up abruptly calling out "I'm gonna pound you… into…" She then noticed she wasn't where she last remembered, that and her sister was comforting the girl she'd originally been fighting before the red-head had taken her place. "Gina… why are you holding her? Isn't she, like, the bad guy or something? And why does my back feel great?"

**-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-**

**Additional Thanks**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

Genhoss – For his wonderful advice, ideas, corrections, suggestions, & critiques.

To My Friends – For putting up with me babbling about my writing when they have zero interest in fanfiction and for their occasional quote or unintentionally given idea.

Spokavriel – For many many edits!

**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**Once again, I thank you for reading this story and I do hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I had in writing it. If you did, please leave a review. **

**PS: **Blame or thankVizeerLord for getting me to post this chapter so soon. I had planned to wait a week!

Oh, Coconuts are not a good place to try to keep your fish.

– Revised April 11th, 2011 –

– Revised October 31st, 2011 –

– Revised June 4th, 2012 – (Spokavriel Corrections)


	3. Chapter 3

**MORE OR LESS**

**Disclaimer, Warning, Story Key**: See Chapter One. I don't feel like repeating myself. Wait, I just did by repeating this as it wrote it in chapter two! ACK!

***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

If you happen to find any incomplete or half-finished sentences, spelling errors, grammar corrections, or things that just don't make sense as you read, please feel free to send me a **private message** so that I can fix them. Thank you. I am human, thus I make mistakes. Help me be less human! (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

Additional Note: No, this story does not take itself seriously. Well, it does in that it is serious in its non-seriousness. My advice, don't question it and everything will be ok. Trust me, would I lie? :)

Me' I'd go for pizza.

Mmm… pizza…

**-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-**

**Chapter Two **

**No Wait, Three… **

**AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh!**

**-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-**

Shangri-La

Britanny trailed behind her towel clad sister stretching herself to left and the right. "So let me get this straight, after she knocked me out, that little red-headed witch walked on me?"

"Yup." Gina responded with a chuckle. "And in the process she somehow realigned your back. At first I yelled at her, I mean seriously just walking across your back like that? But when she explained that she'd done it to realign your back I wasn't sure what to say. And it does feel better doesn't it?"

"So what? She treated me like a cat-skin rug! I've got slipper prints on my Gucci swim-suit! I swear the next time I see that shrimpy so-n-so I'll…"

"Get your derrière handed to you." The blonde finished for her fur covered sister.

"Hey! I did not get my butt handed to me!"

Gina paused in walking her way down the marbled hall towards the bathing area Khan had told them he'd escorted Ranma to and gave her sister a 'oh really' stare. "Face it Cheetah, that is exactly what happened. That little 'shrimp', who I might add is only a few inches shorter than me, took you down without even chipping a nail."

Crossing her arms over her chest Britanny looked away from her sister with a harrumph, "Ok, so I underestimated…" she then clenched a first before her in declaration "…but next time I'll be ready for her sneaky tricks."

"Sneaky tricks? What tricks. She was just better than you. Not to mention faster."

"SHE WAS NOT!" Britanny declared loudly, her anger at being reminded that her werecheetah speed had been useless further ruffling her fur not to mention her ego. "I just got cocky! If I hadn't I wouldn't of tried to take her head on like that. I made it easy on her by pulling such a newbish move. Next time I won't do that."

Starting to walk again Gina shook her head at her sister's attempts to soothe her bruised ego. "Sure sure, next time, but not this time ok? I really want to talk to her a bit, there are a lot of questions I want to ask her." The shorter blonde held up the small gem Ranma had given her and eyed it. "Like what this is and how it will let her know I need her help."

"But Gina she…"

"No buts sis." Gina began walking down the hall again. "I really want to talk to her and you starting up with her won't let me do that so curb your ego for a bit ok? You can challenge her to a rematch another time."

"Ok fine… but if she starts anything I'm finishing it!" Britanny cracked her knuckles. "I really hope she starts something."

"Cheetah…"

"I said I wouldn't start anything so relax. Like you said we both need a bath."

They came to a T in the hallway.

"Let's see, if I remember correctly Khan said she was in the right baths." Gina said tapping her chin. "So right it is!"

With that the two entered the outer changing area, neither noticing the fallen sign which had it been displayed properly would have indicated that the bath was in use by a male at the moment.

"I can't wait to slip into a nice hot bath." Gina then held her nose shut with her fingers as Britanny passed her "And for you to stop stinking like wet cat."

"Hey! You try wandering around in the bowls of Atlantis 'n not end up drenched from head to tail!" Britanny groused giving her sister a dirty look. "It's not exactly like I was having a nice roll in the hay with my muffin unlike a certain someone was getting frisky with a certain Librarian."

"You… you saw that?"

"Yup, through that Mirror spell thingie Mesha and Tarak used to find your sorry butt. Looked like you and he were getting awwwwwfully close…"

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder." A frowning Gina muttered.

Remembering how her sister had lost the guy because of the fight she'd failed to win Britanny slumped her shoulders. "Sorry Sis. Didn't mean to remind you."

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be." The shorter blonde sighed out before her dour mood switched to being a more chipper one as she dropped her wash basket on a bench to begin wiggling out of her clothes. "Now, as I was saying if you're going to start trouble you should just wait out here. I'll be as quick as I can since I know we need to get back to Atlantis to help the others against Gryphon but I really want to get an insight into what this Astral Rift is like for future study."

Britanny started doing the same. "Nuh uh! No way am I leaving you alone with her. Why don't you just ask that Empress chick instead?"

"Because Cheetah, she's clammed up worse than you did over the 'Cheesecake and Rodney' incident when we were in high school."

Britanny just glared at her sister for daring to bring that up one of her more embarrassing attempts to get a boy friend.

"Besides, we're in a public place. What could happen?" Gina added to which Britanny immediately responded by saying "Oh I don't know… she could try to seduce you. I mean you heard the princess back there; this chic is into girls so who knows what she might try to do if I leave you two alone. In a bath. With no clothes on."

That gave Gina pause, for though she was neither a prude nor against those who were into same sex pairings she herself was heavily into the male side of the force.

"Fine. You can stay." Gina relented. "But I swear if you start anything…"

"I won't." Britanny answered far too quickly.

Gina crossed her arms over her chest as she finished wrapping a towel around her torso, its edges coming to a stop just above her breasts and barely below the level of hiding her decency below. "Cheetah… promise me you won't."

Now similarly attired as her sister through the use of two towels to better cover her much larger frame Britanny directed her best 'I'm an angel' look towards her sister.

"I said I promise!"

"Fine." Britanny huffed then raised her right hand with two fingers up, thumb folded under holding her last two fingers down. "Scouts honor."

"You were never a girl scout."

Said were-cheetah started to stride towards the doorway into the bath chuckling, "No, but I really wanted to be." A wicked smile came to her lips. "I wonder if muffin would like to see me in a brownie uniform… OWW!" The were-cheetah cried as she jumped almost a foot off the ground due to being struck on the rear by her sister's spare towel.

"First, ewww… thanks for that imagery. Secondly, I am dead serious Britanny. I want to talk to her without there being any kind of fight. If you can't check your ego at the door don't go in. Capisci?

"Fine fine. I'll be on my best behavior ok and if I mess up you can have half my tuna when we get home. Is that good enough?"

Gina nodded as she walked by her sister who was still rubbing her rear from where she'd been struck. "Thanks sis."

"Sure sure…" Britanny relented as she followed Gina down the short corridor leading towards the open air bath beyond. "But if she starts something I'm gonna…" she trailed off due when a sudden chill went down, the fur on her tail sticking out as the whole thing puffed up. Casting about for the cause Britanny found nothing which worried her even more.

"Did you feel that Gina?" Receiving no response and noticing she could no longer see her sister as for she'd rounded the last corner to the bath Britanny dashed to join her only to screech to a halt in time to miss running Gina over.

"I asked if you felt that?" Still no response she poked her sister's shoulder causing her to wobble slightly. "Yo Gina? Anyone there?"

The response she got from her sister was not what she was expecting.

"Humina…humina…humina…"

"Wha?" The were-cheetah voiced while letting her eyes drift in the direction of her sisters now upraised and pointing arm. At first she saw only the open waters of the large bathing area, light steam playing over the top of the water. But when her eyes reached the other side of the bath she discovered the reason Gina was stupefied.

The reason was Ranma.

A nude Ranma.

A nude male Ranma.

A nude male Ranma who was seated along the edge of the large open air bath apparently asleep or at least unaware of their presence as he'd made no move to cover himself up which, like her sister before her, allowed Britanny to soak in the martial artist's athletic physique; from his defined chest all the way down to his taut abs than back up again absently noting and ignoring the desire she had to run her fingers over the many light scars that traced his chest even as she cursed the waters from obscuring her ability to see his goodies. Britanny had two reasons why she wasn't letting drool pool in her mouth as Gina was doing; one – she found her muffin Stryyp to be sexier, and two – she still had that feeling of being stalked… of being prey... and instinct told whatever was causing it was someplace in here. Not from the hunk in the waters, but someplace close enough to make her fur start to stand on end.

"Told ya." Britanny half-heard Ranma mumble as he stirred to stretched a bit, his eyes opening to take in the two interlopers to his bath.

It wasn't hard for him to notice how Gina went up on tippy-toes as he shifted, the blonde bundle of hormones silently praying his movements would allow her to see what was hidden beneath the water. Nor did he miss the cute pout she made when he finished moving and she hadn't gotten that special peek she'd been hoping for.

He had grown used to such reactions over the last year of his adventures with Lynn through the dimensions once they had escaped the Astral Rifts, though he was amazed that it was never Lynn who'd walk in on him and discovered his shape-shifting curse. What did stand out however was how Britanny's eyes only flickered briefly to take in his body as he stretched. How her eyes had apparently only dipped low when she was first looking at him and how her green eyes stayed centered on his stormy blue ones.

"Um what? Did you say something?" Britanny asked ignoring her sister's tapping of the side of her glasses, a sure sign she'd just made use of the camera she had built into the damn thing for when she wanted to capture a wall painting or hieroglyph while on one of their many expeditions.

"Look, I was here first 'n I'm not leaving so if ya want to bathe you can either join me or go away."

Lips curling upwards lecherously Gina automatically started to saunter forward, a hand going up to release her towel only to be yanked back when Britanny grabbed her as she started to back out of the bath, "Sorry, didn't know it was occupied."

Ranma could hear Gina's protests for several minutes before the two obviously left the changing area. "See Sisa, I told you this would happen. It's like fate or something."

The golden form of Sisalysis, which was Ranma's golden companions full name, floated down from above. "Indeed. Odd that such occurrences never took place during your time with Mrs. Lynn."

"Dumb luck I guess. Or maybe 'cause we so rarely found hot water." Ranma said while easing himself a bit deeper into the warm waters of the bath. "At least this time I didn't get called pervert, glomped, or end up havin' to run for the hills."

Recalling how Gina had stepped forward, her hands clearly heading to remove her towel Ranma blushed.

"Though I think the glomping was a close call…"

"I am registering a dramatic increase in your heart rate. Do you require medical attention?"

"Nah, I'm fine Sisa." He eased himself into a restful position against the side of the bath.

"If you say so Ranma, though, if my memory banks serve me correctly, the last time your pulse raced this high was prior to you and Lynn having physical rel…"

"Sisa…" Ranma grunted warningly, a sentiment mirrored by a low rumbling growl coming from the previously invisible Khuva, who was the cause behind Britanny's feeling of unease, finished padding over to where Ranma was where the beast leaned forward placing her toothy jaw across his shoulder. To the beasts delight it immediately began to receive a scratching.

"It is possible I am incorrect in my deductions as I am not yet accustomed to your male body's biorhythms despite having had chances to study them over the last year."

The orb circled Ranma's head lazily, "I still do not understand why you felt the need to keep your true sexual orientation secret from Mrs. Lynn."

"Drop it."

The orb went right on as if not hearing Ranma's command.

"It would help me greatly if you could confirm or deny that you felt some attraction for one of the females."

Ranma's growl of "Sisa." was accompanied by a deeper thrum of aggravation from Khuva.

"As you wish Ranma." The orb floated down to rest inches above the waters steaming surface within Ranma's reaching distance. "With greater access to hot water will it mean greater chances to study your male form in the future?"

"I 'supose. I mean I'm sure gonna try to be a guy as much as I can now that I'm back." Ranma's voice dipped lower showing his depression over the subject. "You can bet if I had had my way ya would've had plenty of chances before but it ain't like I had much of a choice with there bein' so little hot water. It ain't like it rained in the Astral Rifts."

"True." The orb replied.

"Only way I could'a gotten hot water in the Rifts would'a been if I boiled something's blood to get it." Ranma smiled half-heartedly "Not that old freak would let me stay male for long."

Sisa floated closer to him, her voice softening showing signs of emotion previously not present, "You miss him."

"Miss the old freak?! Nah…" The raven-haired martial artist cast a glance in the direction the two girls had vanished. "I just wish…"

"Wish what Ranma?"

"Nothin'."

"It must be something or you would not have spoken begun to voice it Ranma." After a moment the orb spoke again. "Remember, I am here to provide you with a confidant as well as advisor. A fact I find you often forget."

"Nag nag nag…" Ranma grumbled playfully as he let his head flop back against the shoulder of his large friend earning him a brief nuzzling. "It's how my body reacted when they walked in. I'm still feeling bits of the old freak's personality ya know? I had ta hold myself back from glomping Gi…er them."

"I see. I suppose that answers my question as to if you found one of them attractive…" The orb pondered aloud. "That aside, according to everything you have shared with me concerning this mystical process you underwent you should not be feeling such things correct?"

"No, I shouldn't. I was just supposed to get the old freaks memories 'n such. Not his perverted desires."

The orb floated over to above the center of the pool. "Perhaps they are not his and they are yours? Perhaps you should pursue this as a means to forget your previous companion?"

"It's not like that!" Ranma shot out without raising his head though his body went ridged for a moment. A scant second later he again relaxed; the only sign of his outburst was the slight reddening to his cheeks. "Ok, maybe I found Gina a weeeee bit cute but I've **never** wanted to glomp anyone before."

"Perhaps there is something special about this Gina that attracts you?"

"Doesn't matter. I ain't got time for relationship right now. Too many things I need to do now that I'm back… starting with those damn Amazons 'n ending with dealing with all my fiancée's."

"Ah I see, prioritizing. A wise thing to do." Sisa floated forward until it was only inches above Ranma's face preventing him from looking upwards without seeing her. "So, am I to assume you still intend to go through Master Happosai's last request?"

"I gotta, I gave my word to the old freak."

"I will not try to dissuade you as I understand your code will not allow you to go back on this. However, I will once again point out that you should be more discriminate in your plans then have previously presented to me in how you plan to deal with them as not all Amazons are responsible for what happened to Master Happosai and yourself."

"I know I know… but… but I can vent right?"

"It is one of the functions I am here to provide for you, yes."

"Even without my promise to the letch I owe them some payback for all the things they put me through even before they did this to me and the freak."

"I will remind you that revenge often finds a way to hurt those who are trying to attain it."

"I know Sisa, I know. I'll think on what ya said."

After a moment of silence Sisa once again spoke, "If I may offer a suggestion"

"Like I could stop ya."

"Indeed." Sisa responded with what sounded like a tiny bit or mirth in its otherwise emotionless voice. "I advise you return to this Nerima first, see if you can return to the life you previously had. Or rather some semblance of it given what you had to put up with previously."

Ranma snorted clearly indicating that even if he did go back he sure wasn't going to let things be the same as they had been before.

"Failing that, searching for this Cologne would be most logical place for you to start and the best place for that would be Nerima."

Silence reigned several minutes before Ranma spoke, "Sound advice Sisa. So I guess that's the place to start."

"Very good."

"But first…" Ranma said getting up out of the waters "I think I'll see what I can find in this place that can help me."

"Oh and Sisa?"

"Yes Ranma?"

"I already know more than bit from Happosai's memories about 'em but I want you ta tell me what'cha know about lycanthropes."

**ooO **Two Days Later At Tokyo Airport **Ooo**

"So tell me again why we're not staying with the plane or better yet going on a shopping spree while were here?" A currently human form Britanny groused after sliding into the taxi beside her sister.

"117 Cherry Way, Nerima." Gina said to the driver, the car already pulling away before she turned to her sister to say "I told you, to get some answers to some rather perplexing questions concerning Ranma."

"Shesh, whats with the obsession over the little redheaded witch?"

"You're one to talk." Gina scoffed. "Besides, obsessed, no, just curious."

"So, I know you've looked her up so what did you find out? Besides her address."

"Well, for one thing I found out that one Ranma Saotome of the Saotome Clan of Nerima is supposed to be male."

"Huh?"

"Just what I said." Gina brought up her PDA and tapped it. "Ranma Saotome, son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome. Born June first nineteen eighty nine at Tokyo Central Hospital. Never finished high school, but for some reason was given an honorary diploma. He was reported missing by his family April seventeenth two thousand five leaving no trace as to where he went and there is a reward for information leading to discovering his whereabouts."

"Reward? How much?"

"Ten million dollars."

Britanny whistled. "His family must be well off to be willing to cough up that amount of dough to find him."

"On the contrary, they aren't. At least not according to the information I've found on them. Sure they live comfortably but where the money they get to do so is hidden behind several dummy companies that I'd rather not try to trace given the amount of security around them. As to the bounty, that's been put up by the Kuno Clan. One of two such bounties that they have."

"Who's the second one for?"

Gina grinned, tapped her PDA and turned it to her sister. "Her."

"Hey that's…"

"Ranko Tendo, age twenty three, coincidentally born on the same date and in the same hospital as our missing hunk. Mother and father not listed but it does show she was adopted into the Tendo clan at the age of sixteen. No high school diploma just like him however she was not reported missing until September of the same year as he."

"That's not the name she gave us, or that little empress chick for that matter."

Gina nodded. "Yet another mystery. One of many, like why would she take his name, where did he go after he left the baths, why were they both there at the same time? Or how about why neither Khan nor Lynn knew anything about this male Ranma being in Shangri La?"

"Or why whenever we tried to find that little redhead we would just miss her."

"I chalk that up to poor timing."

"Seven times?"

"Um… ok… you may have a point there." Gina conceded. "And that is why, while we're stuck waiting for Ace's plane to get fixed from the damage those damn hijackers caused were going to go visit the places both of the 'Ranma's' call home and see what more we can dig up on them."

"And the fact there's a reward for finding them or that a hunk is involved has a thing to do with it."

Gina pushed her glasses up on her face before turning away to look out the window answering, "It doesn't hurt. And the mystery of our little hunk doesn't end there. It seems another group, The Rivalsal Company, is offering twenty million for proof of Ranma Soatomes death."

"Say what?"

"This reward has a time limit that's runs out on the seventh anniversary of his reported disappearance."

"Shesh, who is this guy."

"That's what I'd like to know."

**ooO **At The Same Time On The Outskirts Of Nerima **Ooo**

Ranma watched the portal Khan had opened for her slip shut, or more precisely she watched as Lynn's crying visage vanished with a popping sound. She'd spent the last couple of days wandering around Shangri-La waiting for Khan to send her away during which her ex-student would alternate between begging for forgiveness and screaming at her for still being there. In the end, as Ranma expected, she made it clear that if she left she never wanted to see her again.

Well, as much as it hurt, this was also fine with Ranma as it meant she'd never have to return the several hundred tomes on martial arts and magic she'd stuffed away not knowing they were copies and not originals. What the currently female auqatransexual did find ruefully amusing was Lynn's comment of how things might have been different if he were a male. How they might've had a future together. He almost burst out laughing when she said that which resulted in yet another tantrum by the young Empress who thought Ranma had been making fun of her.

"She will miss you you know." Sisa's musical yet unemotional voice sounded.

Ranma looked up and over at his two companions who stood on the other side of the road upon which they'd arrived. A spot that allowed the two of them an excellent view of Nerima below.

Pulling the hood of her cloak up over her head Ranma crossed the road to join them.

"Don't care." Ranma responded gruffly "If she's willing to follow those damn laws I'm better without her."

A half-smile came to her lips when she gazed out over the place she once called home, "Besides, I still got you two."

"Yes Ranma. You do." Sisa responded.

Khuva's was more direct; she lowered her head down to bump against Ranma's hand until red-head began to scratch it.

"Why do you hide yourself under that cloak Ranma?"

"Thanks to whatever that spell did to me I ain't changed much so I figured it'd be better ta hide under this thing and as a girl so I won't be recognized right off."

Ranma in fact knew she'd likely stay the way she was now, looking like a young nineteen year old girl girl, for some time as she'd read passages in a book she'd gotten from Shangri La indicating the spell used on her prolonged the life of the recipient based upon the life of the one who'd given up theirs to power it. In this case Happosai – an old letch that'd been around for over three hundred years before passing away. So, if Ranma had read it correctly, it meant she'd age very slowly until she was about twenty or so than stop for a long long time.

"I kinda want to ta keep a low profile 'till I know what's changed." Ranma gave Khuva an extra special scratch in the spot he knew she loved the most to take the sting out of words "And I'm gonna need you to keep out of sight too Khuva."

The beast snorted in response.

"Sorry girl, but even with as weird as Nerima was in my day I don't think we'd ever had anythin' like you show up. Not without several of us lookin' to put it down or someone thinkin' ya we're some kinda escapee from the zoo. Besides' I can't have you scarin' the locals."

Khuva's naturally gruesome smile-like expression turned ever more so as she actually did just that, smile.

A mischievous grin alighted across Ranma's lips as the thought of a particular sister and brother pair being the first of those Khuva could scare came to mind. "Maybe later. I kinda want to keep that I'm back quiet fer now."

Satisfied that it might get the chance to run free later Khuva gave Ranma a brief body rub, one would've knocked just about anyone else off their feet, before fading from sight just as it had back in the Library of Time.

"Do you deem it advisable I too keep myself from being seen Ranma?"

"Yeah, you too Sisa."

"Very well." The echoing voice of the orb came as it vanished with a pop.

Sighing heavily once Ranma began her trip down into the town she once called home, her eyes looking out from under her hood seeking to take in and identify all the changes to the place as she went. Overall, she was pleased to find things didn't seem to of changed all that much as she saw familiar stores run by familiar faces. She even took brief amusement in seeing two girls swinging their school bags at a boy crying pervert as he ran away. She was also pleased to note that very few of those she passed gave her the briefest of glances before returning to whatever it was they were doing as if seeing someone walk down the street fully concealed was a normal occurrence.

It wasn't until she neared one of the places that she had a intimate familiarity with that she saw something that she felt was worth looking into herself – this being three individuals trying to hide within the shadows under the bridge which she would sneak off to when she needed time alone.

Upon further inspection Ranma shook her head at what she saw; the three were dressed in ninja uniforms, seated upon a blanket facing each other. Curious as to what they might be doing she uttered "A stay here" to her companions before silently leaping to a lamp post than down to the side of the bridge before slipping into the darkness on the opposite side of the water from the trio. Ranma then silently attached herself to the underside of the bridge to stealthily make made her way closer to the three multi-colored ninja's so as to allow her to easily over hear them even if they had chosen to whisper. Once close, she was able to get a better look at them; easily able to tell that the blue and maroon ones looked like they had seen better days; their clothing clearly torn in places indicating they had recently been through some form of altercation.

"So" Ranma heard the tallest of the three, the one in maroon, say as he pulled off his mask revealing himself to be a boy of sixteen to seventeen years whose shoulder length black hair was plastered to his head "time to ante up!"

"Oh I bet I got the best load!" The one in blue responded gleefully as he too removed his mask, an odd one that had goggles affixed to it. The reason for those became clear once he had his mask fully removed to reveal a rather plump faced boy wearing a pair of thick glasses. Like the first one to reveal his face he too had shoulder length hair, though his was brown and parted to the right instead of the left.

"I don't think so Tahachi!" The final of the trio, and the shortest, removed her mask revealing her cute angular face and her startlingly fiery-red hair whose black roots were already growing back in indicating that red was not her natural color. Even her pencil-thin eyebrows had been dyed red, though they didn't show any sign of root coloring. "If anyone scored today it was me! Just you wait till you see what I managed to nab! You'll be sooooo jealous!"

"Ok, as usual we shall all present what we each consider the best of what we've managed to liberated this day." The one in maroon said.

"Now, since I won the last time the right to present first falls to me." He then reached into the color coordinated bag sitting to his left.

When the boy pulled out a pair of panties and slammed them down between the three of them and then leaned back a triumphant smile on his lips Ranma almost lost her grip on the underside of the bridge.

"Mine, while not visual impressive being simple white and black miss kitty panties" the boy in question smirked widely "it is in the fact they come from none other than Asai Shuguragi, the Doll of Senior Class 3-A that one finds their worth!"

The boy in blue gave an approving "Ahhhh" while the girl just snorted.

"Mine," the blue boy whose name he knew to be Tahachi said as he reached into a bag that was at his side to duplicate the first boys action "are classic pair of pink and white _polka dot_ French-cut panties from none other than Tai Shirinagi, the class rep of 1-A! But that is not all!" he crowed reaching into his bag again to pull out a matching bra "I completed the set!"

The other two seemed impressed by their companion's success if their nods were any indication. Ranma however could not believe what she was seeing, three teenage panty thieves holding a comparison challenge went beyond even something she'd thought she'd find in Nerima. An event the clinging martial artist knew would've had made Happosai shed a tear or cry out in injustice that a girl was actually involved in his past time.

"You and Sagai have done well." The black clad female ninja said even as she, to Ranma's astonishment, picked up the bra to rub its cloth between her fingers as if calculating its value by touch "I give you both full credit for your achievements but I'm afraid you both lose."

"Oh yeah! What makes you so confidant Mika?" Sagai demanded.

"Because I managed to not only sneak into the one place in Nerima no other would dare to in order to purloin a pair of panties!"

"You can't mean…" Tahachi said disbelieving.

"Not there! That's impossible!" Sagai added.

"Yes my brothers!" The girl moved her hand into the bag but did not remove anything from it as she sought to build anticipation "Like our illustrious and long lost founder and the light by which we set our course, The Great Ranma Saotome, I have shown no fear and have braved the Tendo Compound to come away with none other than the panties of…" Mika pulled her hand out of her bag flourishing a pair of bright red side-tie-thong panties between her outstretched hands "…Kasumi Tendo!"

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**Additional Thanks To**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

No One – I MADE IT BY MYSELF!

**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**Once again**, thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, GREAT! If not, well, I am afraid I cannot give you back the time you wasted in reading it. Sorry.

**PS**:My friend tells me I'm wrong. Live rabbits DO make good slippers. You just have to be careful of the teeth.

**PPS**:My thanks toSpokavriel for PMing me several mistakes I made in the chapter. I will quote one of them here, or rather the correction, as it amused me.

"Ranma may taunt allot but his Abs are doing it on their own with him asleep? That's talent! I think you meant Taut."

**PPPS**:Thanks toMythicalprogrammer as well for pointing out mistakes Spokavriel missed. How could you have missed them! All my faith... torn asunder. I shall now go cry myself to sleep… maybe I can teach my abs to taunt you in retaliation!

Seriously though, thanks both of you. I really appreciate it.

– Revised April 13th, 2011 –

– Revised September 3rd, 2011 –

– Scene Added April 16th, 2013 –


	4. Chapter 4

**MORE OR LESS**

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**Disclaimer, Warning, Story Key**: See Chapter One. I don't feel like repeating myself. Wait, I just did by repeating this as it wrote it in chapter two! ACK!

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***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

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**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

If you happen to find any incomplete or half-finished sentences, spelling errors, grammar corrections, or things that just don't make sense as you read, please feel free to send me a **private message** so that I can fix them. Thank you. I am human, thus I make mistakes. Help me be less human! (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

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**Additional Note**: Remember what I said about this story not taking itself seriously Well' it still doesn't. This chapter may seem serious but trust me, it's an illusion.

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**Chapter FOUR! **

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Nerima, Japan

"Riiiiiiight…you expect us to believe those came from Kasumi Tendo?" Tahachi snorted crossing his arms over his chest. "You expect us to trust that those… while very beautiful and without a doubt made to be worn upon a body that would make men stop in the street and gawk, belong to her? As if."

Sagai followed his partner's action of crossing his arms over his chest while nodding in agreement. "Tahachi is right. Everyone knows that all of Kasumi's panties are without a doubt of the most pristine white!"

"I'm telling you these are hers! I got them right from her bedroom!" the girl then lowered her head mumbling "And trust me she ain't all that pure."

"Yeah… right." Tahachi barked in response to her first statement not having heard her disparaging remark about the eldest Tendo sister. "Like you could get actually get inside the Tendo Home itself without being caught! The dojo sure, but Master Tendo's domicile? And into Kasumi's bedroom? HA! Everyone knows that not even the Master of the Saotome Branch of Anything Goes has managed to do that!"

"Actually Tahachi," Sagai said running a hand through his matted black hair. "getting inside the Tendo Compound would be easy for her. Remember where she studies."

"Still, the very idea she could have gotten them let alone that Kasumi-sama would wear such scandalous panties…" Tahachi trailed off upon noting the items under contention were no longer in his female compatriot's hand. "Hey, where did they go?"

All three looked towards Mika's now empty hand wondering where the aforementioned thong undergarment had gone. They had little time to ponder before a voice interrupted their contemplations. "Oh these are Kasumi's alright."

With a jump the three panty-raiders whirled around to find themselves facing a hooded and cloaked individual who was holding missing panties between two fingers of an upraised hand.

"See! Even this person knows they are hers." The unnamed female cited before tilting her head sideways in puzzlement. "Um… who are you?"

"Definitely Kasumi's though I gotta agree with goggle-boy, I'd never pictured Kasumi wearin' something like this." Ranma replied not answering the question put to her as she continued to examine the panties she held.

"Right, how the heck could you tell if they are hers or not just from feeling them!" Tahachi challenged while taking an aggressive step forward to show that he was not at all intimidated by the barely five foot concealed individual. "And the name is Tahachi Akagi not goggle-boy!"

"And I'm Sagai Motai!" Said boy declared whilst stepping forward in an act meant to show his willingness to back up his friend against this newcomer. "And who are you and what gives you the right to interrupt our meeting!?"

A brief flare of light emanated from between Ranma's fingers, the ones holding the red thong. When it passed the garment in question glowed a soft mixture of yellow and dark blue color. "'Cause that's her ki."

Not truly thinking about anything other than the value of the now glowing undergarment Tahachi and Sagai rushed in to claim it as their own. Sadly their greed was no protection from Ranma's response which resulted in the two of them being embedded into the concrete underside of the bridge.

Pushing back the hood of her cloak so the one responsible for committing such an outrage against the one Tendo who he felt had made him feel at home during his time in Nerima would be able to see the anger in her eyes Ranma opened her mouth to berate the girl before him only her reaction was not at all like she expected. To Ranma's surprise the false red-head girl gave out a tiny squeak as he eyes rolled backwards in their sockets before she fell limply to the ground having fainted away. The thump of her hitting the ground was echoed by the twin thuds of the two boys coming free from the underside of the bridge as they hit the ground.

"Just great. I don't suppose either of you losers are in any condition to answer a few questions?" When neither replied, Ranma nudged with her boot encased foot. Their only reaction was to groan in pain.

Letting out an exasperated "Guess not." while lifting her hood back over her head.

She then hoisted the unconscious female over her shoulder, leapt out from under the bridge, and headed back towards where she'd told her companions to wait for her pausing only briefly in landing she called for them to follow her as she continued to leap away from their current location heading away from the more populated section of Nerima for Ranma wanted to be away from prying eyes when the girl came back to consciousness so that she could properly question her unconscious passenger on a whole slew of things. Starting with why she was considered a Panty Thief worthy of emulation.

**ooO** Twenty Minutes Later **Ooo**

"I fail to comprehend the logic behind your bringing this female with you Ranma." The seemingly sentient golden orb commented from where it floated at the still female aqua-transsexuals shoulder as she was setting said shoulder weight down on the ground in the clearing Ranma had chosen as their stopping point.

"I told ya Sisa, ta get some answers."

"I see." The orb paused briefly before continuing. "The query then becomes why only the female? Reason dictates a more accurate collection of data would be gathered by questioning a larger assemblage of individuals yet you left males behind."

"I only have two arms."

"While your statement is accurate, having only two limbs has not proven to be a preventative in past transportation of a larger quantity of objects. Being that this is true, your actions lead me to believe that there is a specific reason…"

Ranma cut the orb off, "Sisa, let it go."

"As you wish Ranma." The orb floating silently to the opposite side of Ranma as she sat cross-legged on Mika's left. "I shall, however, append this event to the catalog of one thousand nine hundred and twenty seven incongruities created by your past behaviors and your dismissal of my inquiry as to the reasons behind why you took the actions you did."

Ranma sighed in annoyance.

"Ranma, I do hope it is your intention to assist me in correcting these inconsistencies at a later date as they are causing me no small amount of distress in my duties of advising you as to what actions you should or should not take in the future."

"You bet... right after I figure out how ta keep you from nagging me about everything."

The eight foot long from head to tail beast walking beside Ranma let out a growl.

"If I might, as you say, 'nag' you further, there is the matter of Khuva's dietary requirements. Requirements which have yet to be met for the day and will likely become a problem if my scans of the local fauna are indicative of the acceptable non-sentient food supply as based upon what I have seen of it Khuva will be hard pressed to meet her nutrient needs."

Knowing her beastly companions dietary needs and not wishing for her to feed on the locals, Ranma quickly came up with an answer that would not include Khuva eating anyone's livestock, her thoughts turning immediately towards the forests of Ryugenzawa where the animals would easily be large enough to not only feed the rather unique Stalker but would likely provide enough of a challenge to sate her friends hunting instincts. Sadly it would take more than a day's travel to reach there even at their best speed and the recently returned Anything Goes Martial Artist had a few things she wanted to look into before travelling away from Nerima having just returned to the place after a six year absence.

"Khuva'll have to hunt for smaller game ok that's all." Ranma said as the toothy beast began prowling back and forth near the edge of the clearing eagerly awaiting permission to begin her hunt. "Things like birds, dogs, 'n cats. Preferably cats. Especially purple ones."

Ranma then turned, her eyes boring into those of the eight foot long beast. "And Khuva, you are not to hunt any people. Got it?"

The otherworldly predator gave only a brief growl in response before her mystically vanishing form parted the bushes that formed the edge of the clearing as she set off to hunt.

"AND DON'T GO TOO FAR!" Ranma yelled after which she chuckled darkly as the thought of her beastly companion chancing upon one of the many animal form cursed Jusenkyo victims that frequented the ward when she was last here. "Hope pops ain't anywhere nearby cause he'd be about the right size ta make a decent meal for her." The red-headed aqua-transsexual then chuckled mirthlessly. "Pop'd probably give her indigestion."

Ranma's parting shout had a secondary effect, that of waking the unconscious red-dyed-haired ninja in who response to the shout sat straight up, her head swiveling back and forth rapidly seeking answers as to where she was even. When she locked eyes with Ranma, who smiled and waved a few fingers at her in hello, the teen's eyes rolled back showing their whites as she slumped backwards having fainted dead away.

"Again? Do I look that bad or somethin'?" Ranma voiced in disbelief at the girls reaction with heavy sarcasm. "I mean sure I haven't had a decent haircut in a long time but still…"

"I do not know how you wish me to respond to that inquiry Ranma."

"I wasn't askin' you Sisa."

"I see. Another one of those self-voiced questions you often make. Shall ignore it as you have instructed me?"

"You do that." Ranma ignored the floating orbs attempt at sarcasm to check the girl over ensuring the unconscious teen had not hurt herself when she collapsed.

"As you say Ranma; still, I deem your hypothesis correct. It is a high probability that her reaction does indeed have something to do with you as she did not faint upon sight of myself." The orb floated over to hover over to the two where it began emitting a soft gold glow which swept the unconscious teens body from head to toe before vanishing. "A scan of the female indicates an increased level of adrenaline surging through her body, this might account for a sudden overload to her system resulting in her uncon…"

"I get it." Ranma cut the orb off standing, stretching, and stepping away from the girl at his feet "So stop rambling 'n keep an eye on her. I'm gonna go see if I can get some hot water."

"How will hot water help her?"

"It's not for her, it's for me. I wanna be a guy for a while."

"What are your instructions should she regain consciousness during your absence?"

"Try boring her to death, you're good at that."

"I fail to understand Ranma."

"For the love of…" Ranma shook her head. "Look, just talk to her ok?"

"What should I talk to her about?"

"Ask her questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"I don't know! Ask her about the weather. How old she is or who her friends are. What dyes she uses to color her hair. What kinda music she likes." Ranma threw her hands in the air. "Heck ask her her bra size for all I care! Just keep her here till I get back."

"I see. I shall make those inquiries though I can give you her exact measurements without asking them if you so desire that information."

"What? No! I don't wanna know that!"

"Yet you specified a desired interest in garnering such information."

"I wasn't serious!"

"So I should not ask her her bra size?"

"NO!"

"I see. Very well, I shall make a few inquiries that might help us with future plans such as the date, the time of year, local events, and perhaps have her name a few people of local importance. Given your suggestion of questions I assume that you simply wish for me to occupy her time until you return."

"Right. Do that." Ranma waved a hand dismissively at the floating orb as she stomped her way towards the clearings edge where he paused to give the orb one last bit of advice. "Oh, and if askin' her questions don't work to keep her here try using yourself as a bowling ball and bonk her on the head 'til she's out again."

"Your suggestion hardly seems dignified."

"Don't care. Just keep her here 'til I get back." Ranma shot back as too she disappeared from site, passing through the bushes just as Khuva had.

**ooO** Another Twenty Or So Minutes Later **Ooo**

Overall Ranma considered his brief trip back to the outskirts of Nerima a success for he'd, to coin Happosai's terminology, liberated a few pieces of clothing allowing him to dress in comfort; something he hadn't felt in the leathers he'd worn over the last several years – baring the few stashed undergarments the now deceased creator of Anything Goes had on him.

So now, dressed in an off-white button down shirt and a pair of dark blue judogi pants, Ranma strode into the clearing easily spotting the now clearly conscious girl who sat upon the ground, her legs folded underneath her, conversing with the generally verbose golden orb that floated at her eye level.

Sisa's call of welcome ruining any plans Ranma might've had of listening in on what the two had been talking about. The girls head snapped in his direction so fast it almost made a cracking sound, her eyes widening as she gazed at him. For a second Ranma thought she might faint again but instead the teen released a high pitched squeal of "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!" before she rushing over to bow deeply at the waist repeatedly before him.

"It's you! It's really really you! This is like a dream come true! I could just pinch myself to death!"

Uncertain of what to make of her reaction Ranma scratched the back of his head showing that certain habits hadn't changed despite the years, "Um… it's nice to meet you too um…"

"Mika Gosunkugi! But you can call me Mika! Oh please call me Mika!" She blushed slightly as she added "Or you can call me Mika-chan.".

"Nice ta meet ya Mika…" Ranma trailed off, the name rattling around in his mind for a few moments. Once it hit him why her name was familiar Ranma said "Gosunkugi? Ya wouldn't happen ta be related to Hikaru Gosunkugi would ya?"

Mika's brilliant smile faltered just before the young girl dropped to her knees to cling tightly to the front of his pants as she pouted up at him, her eyes moist and fearful, "Yeah. But I'm not like that no good jerk! Oh please oh please don't that dweeb of a cousin against me!"

"Um…uh… why would I do that? I mean sure he was a bit of a pain but yer not him right?"

"Thank the kami!" The seriousness of Mika's relief was evident on her face as well as in her voice. "He and I are nothing alike! He's sooooo into all that mystical voodoo junk, but me I'm into Martial Arts!"

"He's not that bad." Ranma voiced. "Well, he wasn't that bad before I um… You're not listening to me are you?"

Mika, who was indeed not listening, had instead been rambling about how much she disliked her cousin. "His breath smells, he's always staring at my chest when he talks to me, he doesn't even know how to pick out matching socks, he's into all that creepy magic stuff, even his dog is afraid of him, and worse is his sister! God she annoys the heck out of me! Shesh, I'd hate to think that being related to either of them would damage my chances to become your student!" Her attention returned once again to Ranma who was looking at her askance, "Oh please let me be your student! I'll do anything! Just tell me what you want! Anything!"

"How about letting go of my pants before ya pull 'em down?"

Mika immediately let go to drop back kneeling before him, her feet tucked neatly beneath her legs, her hands flat upon her thighs, and eyes averted from looking up at him – all of which were signs of her willingness to obey his wishes so she could get hers. "Of course sensei!"

Above her, not that she would notice as she head her head bowed, eyes averted downward, Ranma's face went through a series of expressions ranging from annoyance at her previous babbling to surprise at her sudden capitulation with his request before finally settling on confused amusement.

Lowering himself to sit seiza as she was Ranma spoke, "Ok Mika. I'm gonna ask you some questions 'n I want ya to answer them with as few words as ya can cause I'm a little tired of long winded responses. I get enough of 'em from Sisa."

Without looking up Mika nodded, "Yes Sensei."

"Stop calling me sensei. I'm not yer sensei 'n I ain't looking for any students." Mika's dejected shoulder slumping did not escape Ranma's notice, nor did the tears glimmering at the edge of her eyes.

"But that ain't to say I won't want any later."

His words had her straightening her shoulders proudly and to his relief also prevented her from breaking out in tears. A further result, he absently noted, was that her not too small chest was thrust outward resulting in a brief question as to how a girl as well formed as this could possibly be related to the frail boy he'd known.

Shaking that thought away Ranma spoke again. "We'll just have to see where things go ok?"

"Yes…" Mika trailed off briefly "Um… what should I call you if not sensei?"

"Ranma." Ranma stated his preference firmly then went on. "Now, let's start with why you stole these" He gingerly placed the red thong he'd taken from her earlier on the ground between them "then you can tell me everything you think you know about me."

Mika blinked, smiled, and started telling the story as to how she had gotten them, this in turn became something of an question and answer session which went on for well over two hours – mostly caused by Mika's habit of going off on a tangent though Ranma's constant need for clarification didn't help make things go any faster.

"So let me get this straight." Ranma asked; the fingers of one hand rubbing the bridge of his nose in hopes to clear away the headache he'd gotten from hearing everything the eager teen had to tell him "Six years ago when I disappeared to supposedly go on a training trip with Master Happosai 'n Nerima went nuts when we didn't return 'n after a month or two so all of my fiancées and the guys chasin' 'em turned Nerima upside down tryin' to figure out where we'd gone?"

"Uh huh."

"Even the damn Amazons?"

Mika nodded energetically. "Uh huh."

"And this went on for about two years?"

"Yup!"

"And at some point Pops 'n Mr. Tendo started a fighting over which one of them was the true Master of Anything Goes?"

Mika nodded yet again.

"And now Nerima's martial art schools are split in two, half following the Tendo Ryu and the other half the Saotome?"

Glowering slight Mika responded, "There are still quite a few other schools around, but with all the money both the Saotome and the Tendo schools have they've lured students from those schools to their own makin' most of them close down or move. Most of the one's still around are purely family styles."

"Money?"

"Yup."

"Where the heck did those two idiots get money?" Ranma wondered aloud.

Mika of course took it as an actually question, so she answered. "Well… No one knows who's backing Master Saotome, but Master Tendo's school is backed by Tatewaki Kuno."

The pig-tailed martial artist could definitely see Kuno backing the Tendos if only for his beloved Akane. As to his father, Ranma figured his old man had either come across it by accident or more likely tricked someone helping him. After a moments deliberation he asked, "And you 'n your friends? Which style do you practice?"

"Neither! We follow the True Anything Goes as practiced as set down in the teachings!"

Ranma's head shot up, his blue eyes locking on Mika's grey-brown, "Teachings?"

Mika beamed, "Yes! While several of us have taken classes with one of the false masters, so we can share what we've learn most of what we know comes from the scrolls my cousin found when he discovered Happosai's body."

"Happosai's body… scrolls…" Ranma's eyes took on a glassy sheen as he had both a personal memory of watching the aged master of Anything Goes writing on a series of scrolls coupled with the gained memory of Happosai doing just that.

**ooO** Flashback **Ooo**

Ranma grunted as she dropped the dead carcass of a stalker she'd killed on to the stone entryway of the small cave she and Happosai were using as their home since they'd arrived in whatever the hell this place was.

"You know you could be helpin' ya old coot."

For her words Ranma received only a raised eyebrow, the aged master's hands unceasingly using the quill he had in one hand upon the parchment before him. "And why would I do that my boy when you have things well in hand!"

Grumbling loudly as she marched past Happosai to grab a few of the makeshift tools they'd constructed to ease the troubles of new lives – these being ones which would help her strip the carcass of meat. She made sure to nudge him as she headed back out.

"What did you do that for!?" Happosai whined angrily, a pout on his lips, a hand rubbing where he'd been struck.

"Oops, sorry."

Obviously Ranma was not by the grin on her face.

"I don't know why you're wastin' time writing. What are ya doing? Making yer will or something?"

"No my boy," Happosai held the scroll aloft "this is the future of Anything Goes" he then lowered it again putting quill to paper "So give your master some respect!".

Working on cutting free the meat from the carcass the now bloody handed red-head rolled her eyes, "Wasting time is what yer doing. You should be out looking for a way to get us back home!"

"Getting home doesn't matter as much as doing this does."

"WHAT!" Ranma leaped to her feet, hands going to her waist as she glared at the Grandmaster of Anything Goes. "What the heck do you mean it doesn't matter!?"

Heaving a sigh Happosai set the quill down, crossed his arms over his chest, and spoke without opening his now closed eyes. "Ranma. We both know what the Amazons did to us is killing me just as we know that the spell they used has gone wrong somehow and you're getting more than what they expected as my skills are coming to you as instinctual rather than something you simply know about."

"Yeah, could be worse though… I could be getting' your emotions and end up a pervert too."

"You'd be lucky to receive even an ounce of my appreciation for the silkier things of life!" Happosai declared glaring at his reluctant student. "At least you're not dying!"

Ranma looked away unable to meet the aged masters eyes. "Yeah…" he muttered. A moment later he bashed a hole into the cave wall with a fist. "But it's not like it's my fault! Damn Amazons! This is all their doing! Stupid marriage laws!"

"Your fault or not, my dying is still a fact. I have accepted this." Happosai went on ignoring the younger boy's tirade. "But, what if you were to die? What if something happens to you when I am gone? What if you never find a way home? What would become of my school?"

"Well, there's always pops and Mr. Tendo…"

"Those idiots!?" Happosai snorted derisively. "You expect me to them to properly carry on my school when they couldn't even learn it in its entirety and had to separate it?!"

"No, I will not leave it to them or even to you alone to keep it alive." Happosai slapped a hand down on one of the blank parchments before him. "These will be a testament to the True Anything Goes, to my art! And nothing, not even getting a good feel of those wonderful breasts you have will deter me from completing as much of this as I can before my memories become yours."

The anger had drained from Ranma as he listened to Happosai's impassioned explanation as to why he was writing. For a moment he almost had a deeper respect for the old coot, that is until Happosai spoke again.

"Besides, it's not like you're willing to teach future students of my art how to properly select which panties to liberate and which ones to avoid!"

"Ya got that right ya old letch."

**ooO** End Flashback **Ooo**

"Oh kami… not those scrolls…" Mika was rather surprised when Ranma's eyes widened before narrowing in clear anger. "That… that… putting down stealing panties as a core training practice… oooo if he wasn't already dead I'd plant him six feet under!"

The reason for that anger was that now that he'd brought the memory to the fore, something that he had learned to do in place of just letting all of them run free in his mind, Ranma could now understand why he'd been painted as a panty thief. It was because Happosai had taken creative liberties with his writings painting Ranma as the perfect student of his art by using him as an example in many of the more successful tales of Happosai's own exploits. The old coot had gotten the last laugh!

Calming his anger Ranma asked, "Where is it now? Where's Happosai's body?"

"He…he was cremated. That's what started the fight between Masters Saotome and Tendo, who'd get the ashes, that and who'd follow him as Grandmaster. They've been stolen his urn back and forth for years up until they agreed to have a challenge fight for them once a year. Right now Master Tendo has them."

Ranma got to his feet. "Not for long." Ranma said getting to his feet. As if to point out a factor he had not considered his stomach growled loudly. "Well, maybe a little longer."

Mika let out a chuckle even as she watched the object of her hero worship smile sheepishly. "I know of a great place we can get some food! And at this time of day there shouldn't be many people there!"

"That's great! Um…"

"And it would be my treat! Oh just think I actually have a chance to eat with 'THE Ranma Saotome! The others will be sooo jealous when they find out!"

"About that. I'd like to keep that I'm back a secret fer a bit ok?"

"Sure thing!"

"Great! Now let's go shut this thing up." Ranma said as he got to his feet. "And maybe we can stop and pick up a few things along the way."

"What kinda things sen… er Ranma?"

"Oh just a few things that I think we can find at good old Furinkan." The raven-haired male smiled tightly "Nothing big, a few odds-n-ends I wanna have incase I run into any old friends."

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**Additional Thanks To**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

All The People Who PM'd Me My Mistakes – FREE FISHIES FOR ALL OF YOU!

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**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**Once again**, thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, GREAT! If not, well, I am afraid I cannot give you back the time you wasted in reading it. Sorry.

**PS:** Sorry, nothing to quote this time around. Just can't think of one. Maybe next time.

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– Published August 13th, 2011 –

– Revised August 22nd, 2011 (Error Fixes – Thanks TerraBull!)

– Revised September 9th, 2011 (Altered a few things.)

– Revised April 16th, 2013 (Spokavriel Corrections.)


	5. Chapter 5

**MORE OR LESS**

**Disclaimer/Warning/Story Key**: See Chapter One. I don't feel like repeating myself. Wait, I just did by repeating this as it wrote it in chapter two! ACK!

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***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

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**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

If yall happen to see any half-arsed sentences, spellin' errors, grammar corrections, or jus things that plain don't make sense, yall'd be doin' me a favor if ya could zip off **private message** so I can fix 'em. Thanx. (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

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Additional Note: Remember what I said about this story not taking itself seriously Well' it still doesn't. This chapter may seem serious but trust me, it's an illusion.

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**Luku Viisi**

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Nerima, Japan, Saotome Residence

"Thank you." Gina said accepting the cup of tea from her host with a great deal of attention to following proper Japanese custom in such matters.

She and her sister had arrived barely two minutes ago, both surprised to find the very authentic looking Japanese manor had an extremely modernized western interior. An interior they barely had time to gawk at given how quickly they were shown through the house by a kimono clad servant name Konatsu to a western decorated study where they were quickly joined by the lady of the home, one Nodoka Saotome who was already seated at the table with a tea set placed out.

"You are most welcome." The Saotome matriarch responded pouring the still human form Britanny her own cup which the girl accepted with less decorum than her sister had, but not insultingly so.

"This is wonderful Mrs. Saotome May I ask as to where do you get your leaves?" Gina commented.

"It's Miss." Nodoka responded after sipping a bit from her own cup. "I grow the tea leaves myself. I'd be happy to spare some for you if you'd like."

"Would you? That would be wonderful!"

Beside her, Britanny coughed into her hand to get her sisters attention whereupon she tapped her watch to remind her of the constraint they were under, or rather that she wanted as much time as possible to challenge the red headed Ranma to fight should it come to it.

Giving her sister a glare and her host an apologetic smile Gina set her cup down. "Please forgive my directness as we sadly have little time to spend enjoying this wonderful tea due as we have to be back at the airport before long, so if I may, would it be acceptable to you if I got right to the point of our visit?"

"Of course dear." Nodoka said as picked up her own cup of tea. "Please tell me what I might do for two such lovely young ladies."

After taking a sip from her cup Gina spoke, "Thank you for your indulgence. My sister and I are looking for someone."

"And what can I do to help?"

"We're looking a little red head about this tall…" Britanny said holding a hand out at about Ranma's height. "…knows martial arts. Arrogant as fu…"

"WHAT my sister means to say is that we're sorry to intrude upon your home without calling ahead and we appreciate how quickly you allowed us to see you concerning locating this girl." Gina held out her PDA upon which an image taken of a pacing Ranma could be seen, an image taken by her in Shangri La. "She gave us the name Ranma Saotome, yet from everything I understand that is your sons' name."

"Where… when…" A white-faced Nodoka stuttered before quickly gaining control of her poise. "May I ask where this picture was taken and when?"

"I took it myself three days ago in a place I'd rather not mention at the moment if you do not mind. I take it from your reaction you know this girl Miss Saotome?"

Nodoka nodded. "I do. You say she gave the name Ranma Saotome?"

"Yes."

"Did she say anything else? Did… did you see my son with her?"

"Boy did she." Britanny muttered loud enough to be heard.

Nodoka didn't fail to notice the blush that passed over Gina's face. "Was he manly?"

Ignoring the angry look her sister was sending her way a smirking Britanny said, "I think the word my sister used was hunky and where can I get one."

"I see." A smiling Nodoka picked up her cup and took a sip.

"Ahem." Gina said into her hand. "Please excuse my sister once again. She likes to… exaggerate."

Nodoka set her cup down with a minor clatter, leaned a bit forward across the table making sure her eyes stayed locked with Gina as she asked, "So you did not find him handsome?".

"Er…well…um…yeah…I mean…all those muscles and dark hair…"

"Did you speak with him?"

"Um…no."

"I see." Nodoka said leaning back into her seat, her intense expression fading much to Gina's relief.

"'Scuse me Miss Saotome but we really didn't come here to talk about your son. We're more interested in the girl who called herself Ranma."

The elder of the three women looked Britanny over, weighing her with her eyes, then smiled. "Ah. Well, I see. Your interests swing towards those of the same gender I see."

A goggly-eyed Britanny uttered a strangled, "URK" that was underpinned by her sisters snort of laughter.

"I'm not one to judge dear. After all, she is very… womanly just as my son is very manly. I can see why would see her out."

Before Britanny could get up out of her chair and scream otherwise Gina shot her hands over and covered her mouth. "Miss Saotome, you can take my word on it that my sister is most definitely not interest in girls. She in fact already has a love interest. A definitely MALE love interest."

"Ah."

"And you?"

"Er… huh?"

"Do you have a love interest at the moment?"

"Well… no."

It was her turn to feel Nodoka's weighty scrutiny. Scrutiny that ended with the older woman smiling knowingly.

"You have my approval to seek my sons hand should you wish it. I ask only that you bring him home to me."

Nodoka stood up, dabbing the edge of her mouth with a napkin. "Now if you will excuse me I have other pressing matters to attend to. Konatsu will see you out."

"But we haven't…" Gina started to say only to "eep" in surprise upon feeling a hand upon her shoulder. A hand belonging to the same kimono clad girl who's escorted them in.

"If you would come with me please."

"But I never got to ask…" She trailed off after turning around only to find the Saotome matriarch missing despite only having had enough time to make it a few paces from her seat. "Hey, where did she go?"

**ooO** At The Same Time - At A Small Restaurant Near Furinkan High **Ooo**

Hearing the chime of the small bell above the door to the small unfamiliar L-shaped eatery his false red-headed companion had led him to. Ranma welcomed the brief distraction from her incessant talking. His attention was diverted to a swaggering entrance by a stocky short haired male, wearing a clearly non-standard red and black Furinkan boys uniform -a noticeable difference from the navy blue uniforms of other students present-. The girl walking in behind him also was worth note, for though her gait lacked the egotistic air of superiority the male possessed, she too wore an off color, from the norm, uniform in that she had on a pale yellow blouse rather than one colored the traditional white. 

Even as Mika continued to drone on in low but excited tones about how excited she was to actually have a chance to talk with him. He watched the newcomers make their way to a booth about half way between where he and Mika sat and the main entrance. They might have held his interest longer had his waitress not arrived with a helper to place their tables sizable order before them. He saw the people already in the other booth vacate it with all due haste, but since the food was there could you blame him for changing his focus? 

Once everything was on the table and the waitresses had departed Mika picked up right where she left off in her babbling. Listening to her Ranma was happy to note she had begun to cut back on the gushing praise she had been heaping on him as he popped a fishcake into his mouth before asking a few questions in hopes of directing the conversation. As a result he learned a bit more about how the two self-proclaimed Grand Masters of Anything Goes, his father and Akane's. The moronic duo, his words not hers, had established independent and rival schools of Anything Goes.

As she told him of the challenges the two had issued against each other in the name of their schools Ranma began to wonder just how stupid the two men had become in his absence. The fights included Anything Goes Cricket matches where the players got beat more than the ball? A battle at a nearby amusement park which took place inside a mirror funhouse from which three combatants had yet to find their way out. Or even an Anything Goes Karaoke contest that resulted in a small riot which lasted for three days before the local law enforcement stepped in much to everyone's embarrassment.

And these didn't even include the random challenges issued to both schools by outsiders such as the students of the Panda School of the Lethargic Fist who descended upon his father's school intending to free the Panda they were supposedly keeping caged there or the Master of the Wailing Tears School of martial arts who challenged Mr. Tendo. That battled resulted in enough water damage being done to the Tendo dojo it required a complete replacement of its floorboards due to water logging.

One thing he was sure of was that the weirdness level of Nerima had not lessened the slightest in his absence. His first clue to this should have been that no one gave him a second glance as he wandered around with his features hidden by the cloak he wore but he had other things on his mind at the time.

Her continued regaling of tales of the battles that had taken place in the last year led Ranma to ask questions from which he learned that while the students of the two schools rarely passed on chances to prove their schools superiority there were days that were peaceful. He also learned that there were places both schools students considered neutral territory where neither side would initiate a fight. Counted among these locations were the larger public areas such as the park – that is unless it was a pre-arranged challenge and flyers where distributed as a means of free advertising to see the students of the art in practice, governmental or businesses locations such as the train station or the headquarters of the Nerima Construction Company, the local market area but not the restaurant district, and any official government building excluding the local post office – a place at which many battles had taken place resulting in the local postal workers developing their own school of martial arts to defend their place of employment – or Furinkan High.

Speaking of Furinkan High, Ranma had recovered several gymnastic tools as well as other things he had hidden there, on their way to this eatery. It came as a bit of an unexpected shock to Happosai's true heir discovering the school was no longer run by Head Pineapple Kuno.

When questioned about it Mika told him a quick story about how the Kuno patriarch had passed away four years earlier having choked on a pineapple slice during a luau. After which, much to many of the Wards residents relief, the two Kuno siblings had disappeared for parts unknown.

He received a second shock when she told him who the new deputy principal was, Principal apparently being held by someone whom the Nerima council refused to name, none other than Hinako Ninomiya.

While digesting this information his talkative booth-mate gushed about how she had first met him.

It seemed he'd saved her from being run over by Sentaro Daimonji's horse the day the practitioner of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony entered his life all those years ago astride his horse as it went amuck through the streets of Nerima. The then nine year old Mika was in Nerima visiting local relatives and had in fact not even been there a day before getting caught up in the typical madness that plagued his life back then.

Since his heroic rescue the young Anything Goes aspirant had done her best to follow in what she knew of his footsteps; most of which she'd learned from either second hand information that had once been sold by Nabiki in those days or from what she could glean from her cousin Hikaru, most of which she discarded as she knew him to be jealous of her idol.

Quickly Ranma was beginning to question Sisa's claim this was in fact his home dimension as the teen regaled him with tales of his past exploits, several of which simply had never happened top of which was his having saved one of the princess's of the Imperial family only to steal her panties afterwards. As if this weren't enough Mika informed him that his girl form, whom to most people was not known as being his cursed form, was being lauded as being his equal not to mention as his chief rival.

Ranma missed out on the last of the cheese-filled katsu due to being stunned when she told him about the eight million yen reward being offered by the Kuno's for any information leading to the discovery of his whereabouts. Unconsciously making sure his features were still hidden by the hood of his cloak Ranma was immediately thankful he'd chosen to enter Nerima stealthily rather than openly as if he had he had little doubt he would've been beset by many seeking to claim the reward as their own. When he asked Mika why she wasn't interested in turning him in for the reward her response was, "Not everything is about money ya know? I mean sure it could buy me a lot of things but for the most part money has only caused me headaches."

When he asked her to elaborate she evaded the subject with a muttered complaint about money sucking leeches. This of course led him to asking him if she knew of a way for him to get in touch with Nabiki. When the false red-head told him no one knew where Nabiki Tendo had gone after she'd attended the funeral of Principal Kuno Ranma cursed his luck at his inability to pick the brain of Nerima's resident gossip-monger for what he needed to know even if it had meant promising her several favors in return.

Two things of note she was able to tell him concerned his two official fiancée's; or rather a bit about what had become of them since he'd vanished: Akane had left Nerima though not before renouncing her title as heir to the Tendo branch of Anything Goes and Ukyo Kuonji, now Saotome, was apparently one of the top students at his father's dojo. A dojo who's new successor was one Ryu Saotome!

Anger was the first thing that gripped Ranma upon learning that that the boy who once impersonated him to his mother had done so again but on a grander level, but the anger was cut short when Mika, who had eaten the last of the teriyaki sticks, dropped another bomb on him.

With one of his eyebrows shooting up in a Spock like fashion Ranma asked her to repeat what she had just told him.

"Yup, you heard me right, Kasumi-sama is the heir to the Tendo Dojo." She gave him a quizzical look. "I thought I told you this earlier?"

Remembering to keep a low profile Ranma whispered his next words despite wanting to shout them, "But Kasumi can't fight!"

Mika's coughing fit took him by surprise. Once she got it under control it was the younger girls turn to utter her disbelief, "Are you kidding me? She's the best martial artist in Nerima! Kasumi-sama even beat Ryu Saotome in a challenge match for who'd get Master Happosai's ashes!"

"Kasumi beat Ryu?" Ranma asked feeling as if his Universe had lurched sideways. "In a fair fight?"

"Or course in a fair fight! She creamed him right from the get go! The match didn't even last a minute!" Mika took a bite of sashimi, thought for a second, chewed, thought a bit more, swallowed, and then went on. "Kasumi-sama's the reason I decided to go the Tendo School insteada the Saotome."

Ranma palmed his face as he shook his head, "Sisa has gotta be wrong… no way this is my home dimension. No flippin' way."

"Huh? Home dimension?"

Ranma ignored Mika's question by asking one of his own. "Seriously, Kasumi Tendo, homemaker and cooker of the greatest food I have ever tasted beat Ryu?"

The teen sucked down a good bit of her drink through its straw as she nodded in affirmative.

"You're one hundred percent sure it was a fair fight?"

Mika slammed her cup down on the table making the many plates jump. "Of course it was fair! Kasumi-sama would never cheat! And what do you mean homemaker? Kurumi keeps house for the Tendo Dojo."

"Kurumi?"

"Yes Kurumi! Are you going deaf or something?!" The false-red head stated flatly, anger from Ranma's earlier comments still rattling around in her head. "And she's really into it to. Kurumi-chan makes all the work into a kata and it's awesome to see her when she's in the zone. Of course with a place as big as the Tendo dojo, all the students help out a few times a week, but as far as the Tendo home itself Kurumi does it all."

"Kurumi? As in Natsume's sister? That Kurumi? The one who can eat anything even Akane's cooking?"

Mika chuckled, "Yeah. Kurumi-chan really can pack it away. She's the one who got me started on learning how to defend my food. She and I sit together at lunch sometimes. She's fast."

Ranma snagged the last of the fried squid right out of Mika's hand so fast she did not even see it so she bit down on her chopstick. "Hey! That was mine!"

"Get faster."

With a frown Mika put an arm defensively around her plate, not that it did her much good as a shrimp-puff vanished from behind her defenses.

"Look, yer the one who said they wanted me to train you right? Well, if, and I stress **if**, I decide to train you, protecting your food is just one of the ways I'll be doing it so get used to it or give up on the idea of ever being my student."

Mika's mood immediately switched from angry to elated. "You mean you're already training me! Way cool!"

"I said IF! Shesh."

The two ate in silence for a few moments, Ranma avoiding meeting her eyes while she continued to grin so widely that someone looking might have thought she'd just won the lottery.

Eventually Ranma broke the silence with a clearing of his throat, "Ok, you joined the Tendo School to get some basics down before starting training with those damnable scrolls, but what about those two you were with under the bridge?"

Mika's smile vanished, replaced instantly by a frown as she glared ineffectually at her would-be sensei who stole several choice bits from her mouth making her bite the chopstick again. After the fourth stolen bite Ranma shook his head, "The longer you wait to answer me the more I'm gonna take from you."

"Fine!" Mika slammed her chopsticks into a dumpling than waved it at him as she answered. "Sagai takes classes at the Saotome dojo and Tahachi trains with his father most of the time."

"His father?"

"Yeah," She chomped the dumpling in half, her mouth still full as she went on. "Mthtr. Akagi teaches thendo at Furithkan." She swallowed. "The three of us meet up whenever we can 'n share what we've learned, usually at this little warehouse Sagai's father owns out near the edge of the ward. We also study the 'Teachings' there." She smiled widely. "But now that you're here…"

Frowning at his failure to derail her Ranma once again let her know his thoughts on this matter, "Look, I said I'd think about helpin' you. I'm already doing so by keeping you from stuffing your chubby little face so don't bug me about it right now ok?" Ranma popped a few fries in his mouth while ignoring Mika's pouty angry sputtering at being called chubby-faced. "So, where do ya keep those damn scrolls anyway?"

"Why the heck should I tell you!? You jerk!"

"'Cause you want to become my student." Ranma took a sip of his own drink. "That and they really belong to me."

"So."

"So, tell me."

The two stared each other down for several moments.

"If you do, I promise to give you at least one lesson with me." Ranma said.

"A month's worth."

"One week."

"Three weeks, training every day for at least an hour."

"How about no training 'n I follow you around until you lead me to 'em?"

At first Mika looked like she was ready to cave, then she smiled evilly. "How about I yell out who you are and we see how many people here try to cash in on those rewards?"

"Fine, three weeks, an hour each. But you provide any meals!"

"Deal!"

"Now where are they?

"You mean 'Master Happosai's Teachings'?" At seeing Ranma nod Mika went on. "They're in the tunnels under Furinkan."

Ranma sat there slack jawed for several seconds before spitting out, "Why didn't you tell me while we were there?!"

Mika didn't even try to hide her smirk, "You didn't ask."

Huffing for a moment Ranma met her smirk with a frown, "Where in the tunnels?"

"Old man Kobayashi lets us use the tunnels and old class rooms for our training from time to time 'cause we help him out by keeping them free of cobwebs 'n stuff. Which one I'm not sayin' 'cause of your attitude. Besides, I don't want you weaseling out on the training you promised."

"I won't." Ranma angrily stabbed a few cheese fries with his chopsticks. Just before shoveling them in his mouth he asked, "How did ya get them anyway?"

In answer Mika wove a short tale of how she'd gotten the scrolls away from her cousin when he'd gone to destroy them so that neither of the schools of Anything Goes could get them as, in his words, 'The two schools of Anything Goes perpetuated and exemplified the school yard bully mentality.'. Mika was quite proud of the fact she'd fooled Hikaru into believing he'd destroyed the teachings when in fact he'd burnt up several of her great aunt's old recipe scrolls. All of which were of course for meals she hated.

While he was listening to her spin her yarn, and getting in a good bit of eating, Ranma's took note of several individuals from various tables getting up at random to rush over to the newcomers table where they placed folded pieces of paper down before the raven-haired girl who'd casually opened each for inspection all-the-while keeping up the appearance of listening to the brown-haired and bushy eye browed male across from her. Ranma watched as a rather unfriendly smirk crossed the lips of the porcelain-skinned girls face before she interrupted her companions continued yammering to casually point in the direction of a boy seated at the counter. Whatever she said to him about the boy clearly got a reaction for with a scowl he slid to the outer edge of the booth where he said something to two boys in Furinkan uniforms seated in the booth behind him; a tall lanky boy with straight, neck-length black hair and a wide shouldered stocky teen with thick, wavy, auburn shoulder length hair. The two nodded and got up, one heading towards the front of the eatery the other the back.

"What'ch ya looking at?" Mika, who had noted his lack of attention, asked while pushing herself up in her chair so she could look over the booth high partition. Much to Ranma's surprise she let out a groan while mumbling, "Oh man… why is she here. She never comes here this late on a Sunday."

Casting a brief glance between the two Ranma folded his arms over his chest asking "You wouldn't be tryin' to hide would ya ya Mika?" knowingly.

The girl in question cast a glare at him while stuffing some more food into her mouth like a half-starved super model who'd just officially gone into retirement.

Again Ranma began depriving her of her chosen morels.

"Cut that out!"

"Nope. Training. Now answer me."

"I'm not trying to hide! I'm just… um…" her face suddenly brightened. "I'm just trying to work out a kink in my back that's all!" To add truth to her false statement Mika started to squirm deeper into her seat.

"You really don't wanna eat do you?"

"Hey I paid for all of this!"

"Thanks. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you have any more 'til ya tell me why yer hiding."

"I told you I'm not hiding!"

"You're also horrible at lying, never mind slower than a sloth but at least you won't get any chubbier."

Mika's eyes narrowed to practically slits, "I'M NOT CHUBBY!"

"Yer sure are damn loud."

Mika grumbled non-coherently between glares at Ranma who reacted by snatching a dumpling off her chopstick making her slam her teeth together painfully.

"Damn it! Let me eat something!"

"Tell me who she is."

"Who's who?" the red and black haired girl feigned ignorance yet again.

"The girl with the black hair that you're hidin' from."

"I told you I'm not hiding."

"You must know her. Maybe she's a class mate?" Seeing no reaction from the girl opposite him he tried guessing again. "A friend maybe? No, why would you be hiding if she were a friend? IS she someone you stole some underwear from?"

Mika almost spit out the bit of food Ranma had let her put in her mouth.

"No? Ok, how about someone you know from the Tendo dojo? Still nothing?" Ranma got this odd look on his face, one that worried Mika greatly. Even more so when he leaned across the table clearly intending to divulge his next guess as quietly as possible. "You and her aren't…"

"Aren't what?" Mika found herself whispering back.

"You know… lovers or something are you? Nah… you wouldn't be hiding. Maybe a one-sided crush?"

"SHE'S MY COUSIN!" A red-faced Mika yelled loud enough to be heard several booths over.

Without missing a beat Ranma smirked and said "Doesn't mean a thing in some circles… I'm not gonna judge ya. I mean personally I always thought those daffy Kuno's would'a been perfect for each other and they were brother 'n sister."

Mika gapped like a fish for several seconds before dropping her head to the table with a thud. "Just kill me now…"

"Nope, but I bet you'll wish I had after our first training session."

Mika lifted her head and smiled tentatively at him, "You're really gonna train me?"

"I promised didn't I?"

Her smile blossomed. "So cool."

"But, it may be a little while before I can do it. I got a few things I need to take care of first, like getting' rid of that darn reward on my head. Ten million… shesh… they must really want me found and that kinda scares me."

At seeing Mika's smile dim Ranma plucked up the spare straw the waitress had left for him, pulled half the paper off it, then blew into it sending the rest of the paper to strike Mika in the forehead.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"'Cause it was fun?"

"Fun?!"

"Yup."

Mika dropped her head back down on the table, her chin cradled between her crossed arms as she regarded him, "You're nothing like what I imagined."

"What did ya expect?"

"Um well… I guess I kinda expected someone less… annoying."

Watching him she saw as his eyes flashed away from her before returning.

"You know that girl you're not hiding from?"

"Yeah…" Mika said drawing out the word.

"She musta heard you or something 'cause she's coming over."

With an exclamation of "**SHE'S WHAT?!**" Mika spun around to peek over the backing of her side of the booth to see if Ranma was telling the truth.

She let out another groan as she slid back down in mortification after seeing several people blinking owlishly at her. Once fully turned around to once again face Ranma she picked up a fry and threw it at Ranma, "That was mean."

"Not my fault you're so loud you had everyone starin' at you." Ranma said after he swallowed the make-shift missile he'd caught with his mouth.

"I wasn't that loud…"

"Yes you were." Ranma noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye, movement caused by something that had him frowning slightly. "Oh, and that girl I was teasing you about? She saw ya when you popped you're head over the booth and now she really is comin' over this time."

"Uh huh. Not gonna fall for it twice."

Ranma shrugged. "Fine. Don't believe me. But If I were you I'd disappear under the table or something."

"Well I'm not you." Mika replied defiantly while plucking plucked a cheese stick from the already half empty plate and tossed it into her mouth…

"Heya Meeks, didn't expect to see you here." A melodious voice intoned.

… only to spit it out into a napkin as she choked in surprise.

When the raven-haired girl tried to pat Mika but the faux red-head scooted as far away from the newcomer as possible and then scoot immediately back to prevent the newcomer from taking a seat. Looking up at her Mika uttered "What the heck do you want Kimi?" with no small amount of venom in her voice.

Ranma had to stifle a chuckle when Mika tried to prevent Kimi from sitting down beside her by sliding as far over in the booth as quickly as possible.

"If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to avoid me or something." Mika's cousin said even as she continued to try push her way deeper into the booth with little success. "I mean we live in the same house yet I haven't seen you in days."

"Maybe 'cause I am?" Mika half-grunted as she gave up trying to force Kimi from the booth. This didn't mean she gave up an inch of what she controlled; just that she wasn't trying to force the older girl on to the floor.

"Oh now don't go and be like that Meeks."

"I told you to stop calling me."

The older girl simply shrugged causing her hair to flounce slightly. "And I thought you said you were low on cash this month Meeks or did your new friend buy you all this? A friend I might note that you've yet introduced me to."

Even the most unobservant person could see how Mika stiffened at that, consequently losing her concentration enough that with a single hip thrust Kimi was able to push the younger girl over enough that she now controlled about half of the booths seating.

Glowering at her loss Mika stared her cousin in the eyes as she said, "You're right Kimi, I haven't."

Silence reigned for a moment during which a smug feeling Mika popped a few more bits of food in her mouth.

"Meeks" Kimi said flatly, her friendly expression slipping from her features to be replaced by something bordering on unfriendly.

"Not gonna happen Kimi, just go torture someone else."

All pretense of friendliness vanished from older girl's countenance, her eyes flashing angrily as she glared balefully at Mika. "If that's the way you want it Meeks I'll introduce myself." Her friendly expression returned as she turned her attention back upon Ranma, an act which intensified the tingle of wariness he'd felt since the raven-haired girl had sat down. "I'm Kimi Hikaru, age seventeen. I'm little Meek's beautiful…" She daintily offered her hand for Ranma to take. "…yet humble cousin. And who might I have the pleasure of addressing and relieving of my cousins oh so poor company?"

Silence filled the booth while Ranma shifted his gaze from the shorter more physically robust grey-browned eyed and lightly tanned false red-head to the more statuesque raven-haired porcelain skinned girl who made him feel strangely nervous seeking to find any resemblance between the two.

He failed.

Sure he could see a passing resemblance to one Hikaru Gosunkugi in the new girl in that she shared the gangly boy's dark colored eyes and deeply pale skin tone but that was where the resemblance ended. Where Hikaru had been frail and ungainly this girl looked more like a fine china doll who moved with a grace that spoke of strictly maintained elegance and control.

With the silence stretching on as Kimi waited for a response to her introduction from Ranma Mika was waving her hands in a negative fashion as discretely as she could in hopes her would-be sensei would get the hint and not to talk to the raven-haired girl beside her when the sound of someone tapping the side of a glass with a spoon called out for the attention of everyone present putting off any possible complications him answering might have brought.

The source of the voice was the boy Kimi had entered with who had gotten up from his booth to stand a few feet behind the boy whom Kimi had singled out earlier. After tapping the glass in his hand thrice more the flat faced teen cleared his throat and then much to Mika and Ranma's immediate alarm said, "Ok everyone listen up. I'm sure a lot of you will be just as disgusted with what I am about to tell you as I am."

He paused for effect before saying. "It seems like we've got a Saotome among us!"

"What the heck is Tsokuru talking about Kimi?" Mika immediately squeaked nervously, her eyes shooting to Ranma briefly in worry.

"Oh nothing to worry your head about Meeks; Takeru-chans just having a bit of his usual fun is all." Kimi said turning in her seat so she could observe the coming events without undue discomfort.

"What does he mean by 'A Saotome'?" Ranma inquired emotionlessly.

"He doesn't mean… er… it's not… um…" Mika stuttered, catching herself before she gave anything away to the girl sitting next to her.

Kimi watched the byplay with the eyes of a hawk, raking what she could see of Ranma with clear curiosity. When nothing more came of it she leaned in close to Mika in an attempt to keep what she thought was a thoroughly distracted Ranma from hearing what she had to say to her cousin. "Well well well, isn't this interesting Meeks. Just who is this guy that he doesn't know who the Soatomes and Tendos are."

"He's nobody ok? Drop it or you won't see a cent of what I owe you this week." Mika hissed back.

"That threat won't fly with me Meeks and you know it, or did you forget which of us is in control here? Because if you have I'd be glad to arrange a little lesson for you just like I have for Yumae-kun there. He really shouldn't have lied to me saying he didn't have the money he owed me this week only to show up here for an after school snack."

"Oh, and don't think I'm not aware of who paid for this little meal you're sharing with Mr. Mysterious here." Kimi said, her voice so coated with sugary sweetness Ranma thought he might choke on it. "When we get home you and I are going to review our deal Meek's 'cause I'm clearly not being compensated properly for my silence in regards to your extracurricular activities if this is how you waste your money."

Turning away from Mika Kimi's friendly demeanor returned as she spoke to Ranma, "Well, since your new and Kimi's friend I'll fill you in, but this is the only freebie you get." She pointed towards the boy she'd been sitting with saying "You see that boy over there? The one spouting off about how sickened he is to be in the presence of a Saotome, that's Takeru Tsokuru, a fourth year student at the Tendo Dojo of Anything Goes and a senior at Furinkan High".

She then moved her hand so she was pointing at the spiky blond haired boy sitting at the counter with his shoulders slumped "and that poor schlub is Onogai Yumae, a first year student at the Saotome Anything Goes dojo and a freshman at Furinkan. Thus, Tsokuru is a 'Tendo' and Onogai is a 'Saotome'. Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out from Tsokuru's insults, the two subtends of the schools don't get along.".

That was the last he heard of what Kimi was saying for he'd tuned the girls out instead concentrating upon what the stocky boy was saying; none of which he liked.

"So? Got an excuse for polluting this place with your filth Onogai?" Tsokuru voiced loudly having finally wound down from playing to those who had not chosen to sneak out of the eatery in order to avoid the coming confrontation. Even the employees had closed up the metal shutters between the main eating area and were poking their heads out through the swinging kitchen door.

Slipping off his stool Onogai Yumae stood to his full height of five foot ten before his five foot three tormentor clearly in hopes of intimidating the older boy; an act that might have been more effective if hadn't been visibly shaking as he settled into a unsteady defensive stance.

"I… I don't w…want a…any trouble Tso…Tsokuru-sempai" The boy stuttered. "B…but I…I'll give you s…some if you d…don't stop bad mouthing my school."

"You? You're actually standing up to me? I, Tsokuru, The Red Chain of the Tendo Twelve?" The aggressive teen let out a single bark of laughter while shifting his stance so as to present a smaller profile to the quaking Saotome trained martial artist before him. "I'll give you this Onogai, you've actually got more guts than most Saotome I've run into. You're just as stupid… but braver."

Tsokuru's lips curved upward in a very unfriendly grin. "And do ya wanna know what you're gonna get for it?"

Before Onogai could reply his legs were wrapped in a short length of thin chain whose opposite end vanished up the sleeve of Tsokuru's right arm, an arm that was being drawn back yanking the blonde teen across the floor and underneath one of the empty booths where he struck his head and shoulders against the tables only leg with enough force to snap it.

"You get a bigger beating." Tsokuru uttered even as he once again yanked back upon the chain flinging his human bowling instrument towards the front of the eater where several of those who had chosen to stick around wisely scattered in fear of being hit by the sliding teen.

Their worries proved to be needless as just before Onogai reached them Tsokuru reversed his direction again resulting in the tall blond hurtling back towards the counter where he upended several stools before slamming back first into the counter forcing the air from his lungs leaving him gasping. Adding insult to injury Tsokuru kicked Onogai in the stomach before further capitalizing upon his opponent's stunned state by flipped Onogai on to his back to loop several strands of the seemingly endless red-chain within his sleeve around the blond boy's wrists and neck effectively hogtying him.

To complete his win the bushy mono-browed victor stuffed a fallen cloth napkin into Onogai's mouth resulting in him wheezing dangerously in a desperate effort to get air into his lungs.

Wiping his hands with another cloth napkin as he stood over his fallen foe Tsuruko gave the boy another kick. "Man, you Saotomes are getting easier and easier to beat. Seriously, what kinda students are they taking in over there?"

"Lousy ones Tsokuru-sempai!" commented the black haired boy who'd been guarding the front entrance as he approached. "That place only attracts losers and wannabe's." The boy paused to stand to the left and behind Tsokuru where he patted him on the back. "Heck even someone with only a month's training at the proud and noble Tendo Dojo could've beaten this idiot never mind someone as skilled as you!"

"You said it Mitsuke, what a freaken' pushover." Added the boy who'd been guarding the rear exit as he joined the other two mimicking Mitsukes gesture of camaraderie by slapping Tsokuru on the back as well. "I gotta say sempai I'm glad ya gagged him' cause I fer one don't wanna listen ta another Saotome try to beg their way out with that 'Crouch of the Lame-ass Tiger'. Seriously, what kinda school teaches their students how ta beg as a technique?". He then got down on the floor to do a laughable imitation of how Soun and Genma used to scrape before Happosai for forgiveness to which several of the crowd laughed.

"Fuyu, you crack me up!" Tsokuru used his left foot to pull on the chains holding Onogai eliciting a groan of pain from the hogtied teen as it stretched his arms and put pressure on his neck. "Still, you shouldn't be so hard on this twit. After all, he did have the guts to stand up to me even if he was shaking in his loafers while doing it."

Fuyu nodded, smirked, then said "I bet it was because the cowardice they teach at the Saotome School just hasn't set in yet!".

The three boys had a good laugh at that.

"You're probably right man." Tsokuru said once he'd stopped laughing. "Heck I have yet to meet a single Saotome who isn't a coward at heart. Even their sensei Genma Saotome is a coward. After all he's refused to accept Master Tendo's challenge to an official match last month." He then snapped the chain linked from his hand to his restrained foe with a flick of his wrist. "Still, Onogai here needs something special so he'll remember that challenging a Tendo isn't something done."

"Sounds good to me Tsokuru-sempai! I'll get started!" A grinning Mitsuke said picking up the ketchup container off the counter. His friends gave a concerted chuckle as all three turned their eyes downward to watch the boy at their feet get covered in condiment only to see the legs of one of their compatriots vanish. Added to this was the sudden and unexpected sound of metal being torn followed by a echoing yet muffled 'OOF' from above. The remaining two assailants turned their gazes upwards where they easily spotted Mitsuke firmly lodged up to his waist into the air duct above them; written in ketchup across his rear in kanji was the word "Bully".

Again, as one, the two stared quizzically at each other before they began searching for the reason their friend was now imbedded into the eateries airflow system.

Tsokuru's sudden cry of "WAAAMMPH!" and muffled attempts at speech coming from above him alerted Fuyu that something had happened to his remaining companion. Turning again to look upwards his eyebrow began to tick in response to seeing his sempai in a spread-eagle fashion to a ceiling fan; his arms and legs wrapped in lengths of red chain and yellow gymnastic ribbon while in his mouth was the ketchup container. A series or bruises on his forehead formed the kanji characters for "Loser".

Gulping at seeing his senior at the Tendo School, and one of its prominent fighters, incapacitated so quickly and by an unknown opponent thus it was with trepidation that Fuyu sought to find the culprit. He didn't have much difficulty in finding the one responsible as a cloaked Ranma was standing before him with his arms crossed.

Fuyu opened his mouth to say something but halted when Ranma leaned forward, seeming to loom over the auburn haired boy though they were the same height. Fuyu's reaction resulted in nearly a crowd wide facefault as the boy dropped to the floor uttering pleas of "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me" over and over whilst performing a perfect Crouch of the Wild Tiger.

With a snort Ranma leaned down and snapped the chains holding Onogai in place then turned and headed back to the table at which Kimi and Mika sat, the latter gazing at him with clear adoration while the former alternated between looking at him and then at the three boys Ranma had just dispatched with about as much difficulty as he had walking across a room.

"I'm leaving, if you're coming with ya better keep up." Ranma said, his tone making it clear he would leave her behind. Mika shot right out of the seat to bounce energetically at his side, the smile and joyful look upon her face a sharp contrast to what could be seen of Ranma's dour features.

The two had hardly turned away from the table when Kimi started to rise "Hey. Wait a minuuuuueeeeeppp!" only to plop wide-eyed back down into her seat her coloration turning even paler than normal, her hands flying to hold her skirt down firmly in her lap.

Mika, who'd paused thinking Ranma would do so as well, gave her wide-eyed cousin a moments scrutiny before rushing to catch up with Ranma before he got too far away, as it was he was already half way out the door and his pace showed he clearly had no intention of slowing once he got outside. When she caught up with him she heard him muttering to himself. "I can't believe pops and Mr. Tendo."

"Can't believe they would do what sensei?" Mika asked quietly.

Ranma went on, talking mostly to himself but also the girl beside him. "Pop's never taught me much except the art. The old man hounded me day in and day out about honor and how the art was meant to protect people. That it was a martial artists duty to protect those weaker then themselves and that it wasn't right to pick on the weak like those guys back there did." Ranma sighed. "Sure beating him in a fair fight might've been ok **if** he'd been the one to issue the challenge but what those three did ain't right."

Mika gazed confusedly at her mentor as what he was saying was nothing like what she'd read within Happosai's teachings. But then again what she was learning at the Tendo dojo didn't jive with the core principals she'd read within the scrolls either.

"Sensei. Master Tendo does teach that the art is to protect." Mika smiled brightly "But when students of the two schools meet its Anything Goes ya know?"

"I guess. Still. I don't like it. They shouldn't of kicked him when he was down."

Seeing Ranma shake his head in disgust kept Mika from saying "Well both sides do it." or saying how she'd seen a few of the students of both arts bully some of less popular kids at school on occasions.

When Ranma leapt from the sidewalk to the roof of the building they were passing Mika was right behind him, landing upon the roof without effort.

"You know." She said walking alongside him as he made his way to the far side of the roof. "Not all of Master Tendo's students are like those guys back there. Those three are just jerks is all."

"Then it's his job as sensei to correct them." Ranma retorted angrily only to shake his head and chuckle ruefully. "Yeah, not like should expect pops or Mr. Tendo to do anything other than serve their own needs."

Mika opened her mouth to say more but stopped when she found Ranma's outstretched hand held before her, his fingers tightly closed around something within.

"Here, take these."

Accepting what he handed her Mika was rather surprised to find that she was now holding a pair of lavender panties with small purple bows on them.

"Huh?" Mika voiced her confusion while taking in Ranma's blushing profile as he refused to look in her direction. "Where did you…"

"Kimi." , though if she had been p[paying more attention to her sensei and not the panties she was holding she would have noticed the slight tinge of red to his cheeks.

"Really? Kimi? My cousin?"

Ranma gave a quick nod "Think of 'em as replacements for the one's I took from ya. Ya know, Kasumi's." then leapt on to the brick ledge that formed the edge of the roof. "Not that I approve of you stealing panties or anything but um… fair is fair."

For her part, Mika just grinned and eyed her sensei with greater respect for Ranma even though she had purloined a few of her cousins panties during her early training she had yet to advance to the level of being able to remove undergarments from people directly let alone had the chutzpah to do so in broad daylight to anyone let alone her unscrupulous cousin.

Ranma, whose expression was nervously guarded, coughed into his hand before speaking again. "Look. I gotta go get Sisa and Khuva before the two of them get into trouble or somethin'. After that I'm gonna head to the Tendo Dojo 'n get the old letches ashes." He then cast a brief glance in her direction. "I'll meet up with ya at Furinkan when I'm done 'n we can talk about you being my student ok?"

There was no hesitation in Mika's reply of "Ok." as she stuffed her cousins panties into her book bag.

What she did leave unsaid was her refusal to not follow him as there was no way she was going to miss a chance to see her idol in action when he snuck into the Tendo Dojo. After all, why start an argument that she didn't have to fight.

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**Additional Thanks To**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

All The People Who PM'd Me My Mistakes – AČIŪ!

Dumbledork – For pointing out I misspelled Kurumi as Karumi.

TJG1 – For pointing out where I said Kasumi instead of Kurumi. I think I am going to have problems with this in the future…

Bookeater-otaku – For pointing out my use of due instead of duo.

Spokavriel - For editing despite not liking this tale. My hats off to you!

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**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**I apologize to my readers, **that's you, for this chapter. I personally feel it fell kinda flat for what I wanted to do. Also, like many in the past, I had intended it to be much larger as I had wanted to include the scene where Ranma makes his attempt to get Happosai's ashes back. Sorry.

**Once again**, thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, GREAT! If not, well, I am afraid I cannot give you back the time you wasted in reading it. I can however suggest a good way to keep in shape. EXERCISE! Now if only I could follow my own advice…

**PS:** I've started a new job and I have no idea how this will affect my writing but I hope not too much.

**PPS:** If you have friends. Never agree to hang out with them when they have a cold but always hang with them when you do!

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– Published October 31st, 2011 –** Oo Happy Halloween! oO**

– Revised June 7th, 2012 – (Spokavriel Corrections)

– Added Scene April 17th, 2013 – (Spokavriel Corrections)


	6. Chapter 6

**MORE OR LESS**

**Disclaimer/Warning/Story Key**: See Chapter One. I don't feel like repeating myself. Wait, I just did by repeating this as it wrote it in chapter two! ACK!

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***PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST A REVIEW***

(After you read the chapter of course.)

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**!REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR!**

If yall happen to see any half-arsed sentences, spellin' errors, grammar corrections, or jus things that plain don't make sense, yall'd be doin' me a favor if ya could zip off **private message** so I can fix 'em. Thanx. (Private Messages can be sent via my profile.)

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Additional Note: Remember what I said about this story not taking itself seriously Well' it still doesn't. This chapter may seem serious but trust me, it's an illusion.

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**Cccccchapter Sixxxxxx**

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Nerima, Japan, Outside The Saotome Residence

Once again in the back of a cab Britanny spoke up before Gina could give the driver his instructions.

"Sooooooo was that a titanic waste of time that could'a been spent shopping or is it me?"

"It's you."

Britanny, who was eyeing her watch intently as if willing time to pass, gazed up to give her sister a 'you better explain' look.

"We discovered that Ranma Saotome is her son, that the redhead is named Ranko not Ranma. Furthermore the lady Saotome claims to be unmarried when records show she is, she wants him to come home but seems to avoid talking about Ranko to the point she took jabs at your sexuality. Also, from the picture I saw on the one of the bookshelves of the two of them, Ranma and Ranko could pass as siblings; yet they are of different families. Finally, and more importantly, neither of them have been to see her or her reaction would've been different and probably a whole lot less secretive."

After a moment considering her sisters reply Britanny asked "Soooooo What now?".

"We go to the next more logical place, the Tendo home."

Britanny's watch gave a chime and the girl gave out a "Whoop!" transforming back into her hybrid form.

"Oh yeah!" The hybrid form werecheetah announced flexing her pecs. "It's good to be back!"

Gina just shook her head and turned to gazing out the window.

"I don't know why you made me shift to my dinky human form in the first place. You know how much I hate it."

"Not everyone is used to the unusual Cheetah."

"Yeah well, they should be. Besides, this is Japan! Someone would just think I was cosplaying or something so give it a rest"

Gina looked from the man who did little more than adjust his mirror when Britanny changed and then back out the window. "You got a point. We could stop and pick up a nice maid outfit for you if you wanted."

"Ha ha." Britanny mocked than added. "Bet I'd look damn good in one though… wonder if Muffin would like to see me in one? Speaking of Muffin, why couldn't he come with us instead of staying at the plane with Ace?"

"Ace needed his help with the repairs." Gina answered than added teasingly. "Plus I think he was afraid it was a shopping trip."

"HEY! My Muffin LOVES shopping with me!"

"Sure sure… it's every guys dream to spend the day in a mall looking at clothes." Gina responded with clear sarcasm. 'Oh, and just to remind you, if we find Ranko, we talk first… challenge later."

"How much later?"

"After we save Atlantis not before. In fact, I may be asking her to come along with us."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

"You're not deaf… but I might be now." Gina shot back rubbing a finger in her ear, an action their driver was doing as well.

"NO way are you bringing that little…"

"Listen here Britanny." The clearly serious blonde cut her off. "If bringing Ranma or Ranko or whatever she wants to be called along on this expedition adds to the chance of its success, which I think it will, I'm bringing her! Our friends are in danger and your pride takes a second seat to that. Got it!"

When Britanny turned towards the window to sulk Gina reiterated. "I said got it."

Britanny turned meeting her sister glare for glare, "Yeah. I got it."

"Good."

"So ladies… um… where to?" The driver finally asked.

"The Tendo Dojo, I was told any cabbie would know where that is."

"Hai." The man replied, the car now in motion towards their destination, neither sister noticing him pick up and put on a combat helmet after calling in his destination to his dispatcher.

**ooOO** Nerima, Japan, Saotome Residence **OOoo**

Ranma's landing in the small alleyway between two homes opposite his destination held none of the grace his normal movements showed due to his shock at finding the place he'd thought of as his home looking very little like he remembered.

Where he expected to see a nicely walled in cozy home with a dojo in the yard he instead found a twelve-foot high wall of stone encompassing not only the piece of real-estate upon which the Tendo home stood but the block beside it.

Shaking away his stunned state at finding yet another bit of proof that his old world was long gone, Ranma easily leapt to perch in a kneeling position upon the walls top where he noted the compound beyond was separated into two sections by a smaller stone wall with an interconnecting gate between them.

To his left stood the Tendo home and its small dojo, both looking pretty much as it had when he'd been banished.

This brought a small smile to his lips. One that vanished upon seeing what took up the far larger part of the compound to his right.

It was a dojo. A massive dojo that could have held more than a hundred students at once and still had plenty of room. Large tan flags hung down from between the wooden rafters of the Shinto styled building, each adorned with what he assumed were the Tendo School of Anything Goes symbol; a white colored martial artist holding what looked like a naginata at the ready.

An edifice of martial teaching that would do a Kuno proud in its ostentatiousness.

The final touch to the entire display, besides the immense and obviously well cared for gardens surrounding the building, were the pair of statues of his younger female self that stood along the pathway to its entrance, each standing facing the other as if bowing in either challenge or respect to the other.

"Oh those have to go."

He was about to drop down to the larger yard and destroy the statues out of simple annoyance when Sisa faded into view inches from his left shoulder. "I advise caution in gaining further entry."

"Why?" Ranma asked, a hand reaching out to scratch under the chin of the just appearing Khuva who, due to the beasts quadrupedal nature, stood sideways on the narrow top of the wall.

"It is my assumption you desire to keep your homecoming undisclosed, to that end, it would be imprudent to attempt entry without taking into account the surveillance devices monitoring the grounds of these structures."

"Surveillance equipment? Like cameras 'n stuff?"

"Yes, camera's **and** stuff." The Orb answered correctively. "Oddly, they do not appear to be monitoring the walls or within the primary structure on your right, thus our approach has not yet been revealed."

"Where are they watching?"

"Both the yards and the interiors of the two training structures, but not the house. I also wish to advise you that both training structures contain occupants. The House is empty."

"How many?"

"Two in the smaller building behind the main house, thirty in the larger one to your left."

"Gonna need to empty out the big dojo if I'm going to get Happosai's remains without fighting all of them."

"Yes, you will. Given that about half of those within are of the female persuasion you might lead them on a merry chase much like Master Happosai did?" Sisa asked, the orbs echoing melodic voice almost teasing like in quality.

"Ha ha ha. No. Can you do anything about them?"

"The people?"

"No, the cameras. Shut them down or somethin'."

"No, I cannot. Doing such is not currently within the realm of my abilities. As you should well know as my specialty lies in the direction of Surveillance…"

"So you should be able to do this." Ranma interrupted.

"Surveillance NOT counter surveillance. They are two very different things." Sisa floated around so she was in his line of sight. "Now, Subtracto…"

"Isn't here." Ranma again cut the talking golden orb off while absently tugging at the edge of the hood hiding his face. "So don't bring the floating vocabulary into this."

"You could do with a great deal of improvement to your own, in fact…"

Sisa suddenly found herself pinned to the wall under one of Khuva's clawed feet, the Astral Stalker leaning in close to the orb to growl at it.

Scratching the toothy beast along the back of her head Ranma smiled, "I suggest ya let go tryin' to improve my diction for now, that is unless ya wanna be Khuva's play toy for a while."

"Wise council."

With a chuckle, Ranma watched Khuva release Sisa, the golden orb floating quickly out of the stalkers immediate reach.

"So, if I wanna keep my homecoming quiet for now I just need ta not let any of the camera's catch my face right? Keepin' it under my hood should do the trick than."

"Could you not utilize the Umisenken technique to avoid detection?"

"Sure I could." Ranma's answered flowing smoothing from his kneeling position to his feet, his body tensing for his intended leap from the top of the wall to the roof of the Tendo home. "But where would be the fun in that?"

"Ah yes, how could I overlook your penchant for undertaking things in the most difficult manner possible. All in the appellation of 'entertainment' of course."

"Khuva." Ranma accepted the growling grunt that came from his left as the grey-black beasts acknowledging it had been spoke too. "When the sun is behind that ugly building over there I want ya ta leap down into the courtyard 'n make as much noise as you can."

The beast grunted in assent.

"Go ahead 'n wreck the place." He paused, eyes trailing over the idols to his female side. "Especially those statues. Just make enough noise to get everyone inside ta come out but hightail it if they try to confront you. That should give me enough time to grab old letches remains."

Khuva gave a slight nod.

"Oh, if ya get cornered no killing."

The beast turned its head away from him with what might have been a reluctant nod.

"Or maiming!"

Khuva let out a huff of breath that sounded like a mixture of a snort and a growl.

"Yeah yeah… I know. Things've really sucked for you since we came back to my world." Ranma said scratching the lithe beast under the jaw. "I'll tell ya what. When we meet up with pops I'll let you maul him to an inch of his life."

Khuva's already unsettling toothy grin became almost impossibly wide.

"For now yer just gonna have to settle for takin' out your frustrations on the buildings."

"A lot." He then added with a pat on the beasts head.

"And I mean a lot. Don't nuke the place or nothin', but go ahead n' knock down a few of the pillars, maybe make a few holes in the walls, make a few craters. You know, make it look like a warzone."

"Are you entirely certain such destruction is necessary Ranma?" Sisa questioned

"Necessary… nah… fun for Khuva… definitely." Ranma said putting more effort into his scratching earning an odd churring sound of contentment from the beast who licked his hand as he pulled it away.

"I see."

With a snorting exhale Khuva lay down on the top of the wall yawning a wide toothy yawn that would have left most who saw it shivering at the idea of being caught between the many rows of sharp teeth within.

Turning his attention back towards the Tendo home Ranma smiled grimly, then, with the grace of a jungle cat, he crossed the distance to land exactly where he wanted, right above the window leading to the room Happosai once called his own. Deftly hanging himself upside-down he peered into the room beyond noting how the room was now a girls bedroom given the brightly pillows, stuffed animals, and mirrored vanity table upon which lay several open cosmetic kits.

At least he hoped it was a girl's room, given his history of encountering gender confused individuals he didn't dismiss the possibility it wasn't despite the frilliness of the décor.

All that was unimportant thus was overlooked as he made his way to the hidden stash in the ceiling Happosai had secured there long ago. A smile bloomed on his lips when he felt the bag was still there. Pulling it out he peeked inside just to make sure it contained what it should then tucked it into his stuff space while exiting the room the same way he entered ending up once again on the roof of the Tendo home.

Realizing it had taken him far less time to find then he'd allotted himself he decided to check on something.

"Sisa." He whispered.

The orbs immediate reappearance to his left startling him not in the least.

"Yes?"

"Are the two still in the dojo?"

"If by dojo, you mean the smaller structure towards the back of this domicile, yes."

Without further comment, Ranma crossed the distance from the house to the dojo in swift silence alighting not once upon the grounds of the yard. There he slipped through a moveable section of boards long since made by Happosai for concealing when he wanted to enter unnoticed.

Once inside, balanced upon a rafter high above the floor, he watched the two below spar for several minutes before retreating the way he came to leap from the dojo roof to the central wall then to the larger training edifice beyond. The true heir of Anything Goes came to the conclusion, given what he'd seen of the spar, that at least those two, Natsume and Karumi, had improved in his absence. Enough so he planned to come back to give them a good 'testing', Happosai style, at some point in the future; perhaps sooner if they became involved in his little snatch-n-grab operation.

His trip between the two training halls complete it took him little time to locate a good opening that allowed him easy access to rafters high above the dojo floor, nor did it take him long to spot the shrine to the long dead founder of anything goes as it took up the central area opposite the dojo entrance.

Pulling a pair of long ribbons from his stuff space trying them around his exposed arms Ranma couldn't help but smile at how Happosai would've been less than pleased to see his final resting place given it didn't have engraved images of bountiful women adorning it. It was instead of simple yet elegant design etched with golden prayers to his well-being in the afterlife and if his eyes didn't deceive him a few that could have been taken as hopes he would not come back to haunt them. As to the container in which the pervert's ashes were held, he felt the carving of the old letch seated seiza upon pillows before the bowing figures of his father and Soun Tendo to be quite appropriate.

Silently making his way across the rafters he eyed the large training area below taking note of the numerous training and real weapons hung upon the walls lining the edges. He then moved on to taking in those being trained, sourly, to finally alight his gaze upon the master of the dojo who walked among his students taking them through a kata.

If anything hammered home how things had changed since his banishment, it was the stern visage of the man below, a man who looked every bit the teacher as he corrected a student whose elbow was bent when it was meant to be straight by rapping upon the students arm with the bamboo poll he carried. A far cry from the tear spouting go partner of his father's he'd know all those years ago.

Yet, as impressed as he was with the Tendo patriarch's newfound spine, he felt disappointment at seeing what was a style meant to be experienced simply taught in a rote manner and the more he observed of those below him, the less the idea of simply waiting for this bunch of Anything Goes wannabe's to become distracted by Khuva appealed to him. What did was his dropping down among them so as to deliver upon them a personal demonstration of what Anything Goes was meant to be.

As he came to a decision to do just that Sisa reappeared near his side, the golden orbs voice only loud enough that Ranma would hear it.

"Ranma. I am detecting…"

"Save it. Have you done any scanning current music?"

"Yes I have but…"

"Ok. We're gonna do like we did back in that nest of spiderlemurs. Make it something short, they don't look like they will give me much fun. A little over two minutes should do."

"They were called Fhuilir. Are you sure two minutes? They look more like a one minute group."

"I'm gonna drag it out a bit. I want to give enough time for Natsume and Karumi to join the fun."

"As you request, however in advance of engrossing yourself in this physical altercation…"

Ranma waved a hand dismissively, the other pulled out a flash of water which he used to change himself into a her. "Something loud. Lots of base. I want the weapons on the walls to vibrate."

"Very well, however …"

"You can tell me how I could've solved this better afterwards."

"Ranma…" The orb uttered as Ranma leaped away hands grabbing upon one of the smaller rafters which the now female martial artist used as a high bar, her body doing a full revolution to give Sisa time to do as requested.

With a mechanical sounding sigh Sisa did as requested, the sudden thrumming electronic drum beat startling all but Ranma who landed in the thick of the students below, body already in motion sending the closest four Tendo students flying across the room into the walls.

**ooO** At The Same Moment In Front of the Tendo Dojo **Ooo**

"Sure this is a Dojo? Looks more like a temple to me." A hybrid-form Britanny commented to her sister who'd just finished having an argument with their cabbie about his sticking around so they'd have a ride back to the airport.

"It better be…" Gina grumbled. "…or I've way overpaid our cabbie. I even had to agree to pay him double to stay so we'd have a ride when we're done. Half up front!"

Britanny just shrugged, "So, which door do we use. The big one over there or the little one that leads to what looks like a house. My vote is the house."

Gina was about to answer when she heard loud music start playing from someplace beyond the wall towards the larger structure causing her sister to bring her hands up to her sensitive feline ears while as she exclaimed "I love this song!" while part-dancing towards the large closed gates in the wall singing "I crashed my car into the bridge! I don't care! I love it!".

Britanny followed. Upon seeing her sister attempt to do the sensible thing by knocking on the doors despite the futility of doing so given the loud music, she grabbed her and leapt them over the wall. Upon landing she, like her sister, found herself dumbfounded when two bodies came flying out of the dojo rolling to a stop in the yard where they came to their feet only to run back in.

When the next body nearly collided with Gina Britanny stomped towards the dojo intent upon finding out just what was going on, her sister hot in her heels.

What they found inside was a free-for-all in which a clearly female opponent, given her obvious womanly endowments, bounded through the many gi clad students of the dojo. It was a free-for-all because as she watched four of those seeking to hit their cloaked foe ended up hitting each other instead which in turn lead those being hit to turn on their fellow student.

"Um… sis." Britanny queried leaning down so her sister could hear her. "Which side should we join?"

The next two bodies that flew towards the doorway bounced off Gina's shield, this time not getting up.

"Neither."

"Say wha?"

"We watch."

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**Additional Thanks To**

**(In Alphabetical Order)**

All The People Who PM'd Me My Mistakes – AČIŪ!

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**Chapter Notes & Author Commentary**

**Once again**, thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, GREAT! If not, well, I am afraid I cannot give you back the time you wasted in reading it. I can however suggest a good way to keep in shape. EXERCISE! Now if only I could follow my own advice…

**PS:** Yes, I suck at making regular updates.

**PPS:** Sometimes, even when you think you are right, when you think you are doing the right thing or going down the right path… you are horribly wrong.

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– Published June 23rd, 2013


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